RAPID COVID TEST PLANS
Council bosses lodge proposals with Government that could help re-open North East’s sport stadiums and cultural venues
PLANS are in the works for people in the North East to be allowed back into sports stadiums and cultural venues with rapid Covid tests.
Council bosses say they have lodged proposals with the Government for a roll-out of kits which could help visitors return safely to some of the region’s favourite attractions if they test negative for the virus.
Football stadiums, other sports grounds, cinemas, theatres and hospitality venues are banned from opening to the public while the North East remains under Tier Three restrictions – something which now appears unlikely to change when the Government reviews the measures this week.
It had been hoped some Newcastle United fans would be allowed back into St James’ Park for this weekend’s match against Fulham but plans for supporters to return look to be on hold again.
Newcastle City Council said it now hopes to see “significant progress” on venues reopening after Christmas, though exact details of how the tests will be used and what visitors will need to do have not been confirmed.
North East councils were each allocated an initial 10,000 of the lateral flow Covid-19 tests, which can return results in just half an hour, by the Government last month.
Local authority chiefs in Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, and County Durham had planned to send the tests to care homes, where they could be used to allow relatives who tested negative to be safely reunited with their family members.
Those plans were then superseded by the announcement of a Government programme to provide rapid tests for care homes across England.
That has forced a rethink of how the thousands of tests given to the councils, which are currently unused, will be deployed.
Prof Eugene Milne, director of public health for Newcastle, said: “Lateral flow testing, when carried out properly, has the capacity to make it significantly safer to reintroduce freedoms and reopen parts of society which have been severely impacted by Covid-19.
“We are keen to make effective use of these tests and have submitted proposals to Government on how they could be used in different ways, such as re-opening cultural, sporting and hospitality venues in the city.
“It will take time to work through, develop and implement these proposals but we hope to see significant progress after Christmas and into the new year.”
Prof Milne warned last week it seemed unlikely that the North East would be allowed to drop into the less strict Tier Two measures when the Government reviews the tier system tomorrow.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on a visit to Blyth on Friday the Government will be “as fair as we possibly can, but we cannot afford to let the virus get out of control”.
It is hoped almost all care homes should have received batches of lateral flow tests by December 18, potentially allowing visits to take place before Christmas.
Prof Milne added: “We have long been keen to use lateral flow testing to facilitate non-essential visits to care
Lateral flow testing has the capacity to make it signficantly safer to re-open parts of society impacted by Covid Prof Eugene Milne
homes and had been progressing with local plans before the Government announced its national scheme.
“Alongside our collaborative Newcastle partners, we are now offering
advice and support to care homes in the city to help them begin using these tests.
“Again, this takes time to ensure it is done safely and effectively. It must
also be considered how care homes will cope with the extra demands on staff to be able to deliver additional tests while maintaining their normal levels of service.”