Extra reassurance for care home visits
Royal Borough: Two centres are now offering lateral tests
Loved ones going to visit a care home resident will now be able to get a COVID-19 test at the Royal Borough’s lateral flow test centres.
On Monday the restrictions eased so care home residents can have a designated visitor who will be able to come indoors – however they must have a lateral flow test before entry.
David Scott, Royal Borough head of communities, who is leading the project in the borough said this can be taken at Windsor Leisure Centre or Braywick Leisure Centre.
He said: “We have said from the outset one of the reasons that someone may have to leave home was to be a carer and they would therefore be able to access the centres as
this carer duty is in effect unpaid work.
“As the Step 1 of the roadmap out of lockdown includes one visitor to a care home resident, we have agreed this is the equivalent of a carer visiting someone in their own home and so to help prevent the risk of lines of transmission, the visitor can access the lateral flow testing.”
Suggested tweaks to the centres were discussed at the communities overview and scrutiny panel on Monday, with Cllr Greg Jones (Con,
Riverside) pointing out the current booking system required people to enter a company they were affiliated with.
David Scott replied he would see if the team could change the field to reflect something more accurate as not everyone visiting care homes will have a company they work for.
During the meeting he told the panel that more people were now using the two lateral flow test centres.
He said: “We will continue to try and promote awareness and the use of that as people are beginning to return to work and as the road map progresses and more people are out and about we are expecting the numbers of individuals using the service to continue to grow.
“It’s really important we get those people identified who are asymptomatic carriers as they are out and about without realising they are contributing to continued chains of infection.”
He said the number of people testing positive was ‘relatively low’ but for every one person identified it reduced the spread of infection which was ‘what it’s all about’.
He said the council were looking at plans to be ready to surge test if they are told to do so by Public Health.
The next phase will be called Community Collect which involves people being able to pick up COVID-19 tests to do at home. This service should be available within the coming weeks.
Visit rbwm.gov.uk/home/ council-and-democracy/ contact-us/coronavirusinformation-andsupport/covid-19-communitytestin to book a test.
MPs debated the ongoing Indian farmers’ protests after a Maidenhead councillor’s successful petition on Monday.
The petition was created by Cllr Gurch Singh (Lib, St Mary’s) and demands the UK Government make a statement on the protests, as well as urging the Indian Government to ensure the safety of protestors and maintain press freedom.
It has received more than 115,700 signatures so far.
For months, tens of thousands of farmers across India have flooded into Delhi and clashed with police after peacefully protesting Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s controversial agricultural reform.
During the debate MPs
demanded that UK officials address these concerns with India when Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the country, expected to take place later this year.
Slough Labour MP Tan Dhesi, who sent a crossparty letter to the Prime Minister signed by 100 MPs and Lords about the issue, told the house he had received abuse online from ‘hundreds of fake profiles from the Twitter troll factory’ for speaking out.
He said: “It will not be lost on anybody that the UK Tory Government, in their desperation to get a trade deal, are failing spectacularly to stand up for the human rights of the protesters, so I call on the Government to request that the Indian Government speedily resolve the deadlock and ensure peace and justice for those farmers.”
Nigel Adams, minister for Asia at the foreign, commonwealth and development office responded: “The UK Government believes that freedom of speech, internet freedom alongside right to peaceful protest are vital to any democracy.
“Whilst this is an exciting time for the UKIndia partnership it does not hinder us from raising difficult issues. We have serious and specific concerns, we will raise them directly with the Indian Government.”
Speaking to the Advertiser after the debate, Cllr
Gurch Singh said: “I very much welcomed the debate on my petition. It was a positive step to have it as recognition of a large number of signatures the petition amassed.
“Encouraging the UK and India to work together constructively to ensure human rights, the rule of law and democracy are upheld. MPs of all perspectives could put themselves forward to participate in this debate.
“I was pleased that almost unanimously across the house politicians from all political parties of all persuasions, bar one MP, condemned what is going on in India right now and the way the Indian Government has dealt with peaceful protesters, activists and journalists reporting on the events.
“It was humbling to receive recognition from Martin Day MP and others for my efforts setting up the petition and campaigning on this issue, which I will continue to work on for the 1,356 local constituents who have expressed concerns and backed my petition.”
In a statement, India’s High Commission said: “We deeply regret that rather than a balanced debate, false assertions – without substantiation or facts – were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions.”