More furlough a ‘risk to women’s jobs’
HEALTH chiefs in Kirklees are closely monitoring two more areas where numbers of Covid-19 cases are going up.
And they are making plans to deal with a second wave if it comes.
Five wards in Batley and Dewsbury remain under local coronavirus government restrictions.
But Consultant in Public Health Emily ParryHarries said the most recent data available to Kirklees Council indicated increasing levels of Covid-19 in the borough.
That, allied to an inability to properly test and receive speedy results, is causing concern.
She revealed at a virtual meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board that the authority was facing “significant costs” associated with providing PPE and that in care homes all residents are being tested monthly, and staff weekly.
As of September 10 there had been 3,260 confirmed cases in Kirklees, with 188 in the last week. Ms Parry-Harries said that represented highest number of positive test results in the borough for quite some time, “so things are creeping back up”.
And she revealed whilst Kirklees had slipped out of the top ten of England’s to a weekly ranking of 26 she urged people to recognise that the situation had not necessarily improved in the district.
“It’s because things have got worse elsewhere,” she said. So we are doing something right but let’s not be too congratulatory.”
She added: “We have a weekly process of reviewing the data and looking at where we are seeing increases and then deploying community protection plans in particular areas.
“We currently have work ongoing in Batley, in Dewsbury and we are watching another couple of areas where it looks like numbers are going up.
“We are trying to do that in a very planned and reflective manner.”
High demand for testing at a national level has also impacted on Kirklees.
Ms Parry-Harries said it was a struggle to secure the necessary testing capacity needed in the borough. That lack of capacity means testing centres in Kirklees are operating as appointment-only.
Six months into its response to the pandemic Ms Parry-Harries said the council had learnt “an enormous amount” about how to tackle the virus.
She said early engagement with communities was key to minimising possible wider outbreaks.
A LENGTHY extension of the furlough scheme would “risk women’s jobs in the long term”, ministers have been told.
Conservative Laura Trott (Sevenoaks) praised the job retention system, which ends in October, for being a “lifeline” for people’s jobs and the question is about what is best to do next.
She said the Covid-19 pandemic has “hit women’s jobs hard”, explaining they are more likely to work in sectors which have been shut down - such as hospitality and it has increased the burden of unpaid care.
Speaking in a Commons debate, Ms Trott told MPs: “Mothers have reduced their paid working hours substantially as a result and by more than fathers.
“Overall women’s jobs are nearly two times as likely to be vulnerable as men’s jobs, and there’s a fear the gender wage gap will rise as women are more likely to be interrupted in their workplace than men.”
Ms Trott added: “To continue furlough indefinitely would, in my view, risk female unemployment rising. It’d keep women in jobs that simply and sadly just don’t exist.
“I argue we should instead focus on encouraging employers to rehire, creating new jobs, supporting childcare and making sure that schools stay open, and also encourage continuing flexibility from employers.”
Ms Trott concluded: “We need to focus on getting women economically active, back in work and supported by childcare.”