“With greater capacity to deliver more tests, the Government should prioritise those at most risk, including staff who work in care homes and support the most vulnerable."
Responding to the Government’s announcement that mobile testing units will travel across the country to increase frontline workers’ access to COVID-19 testing, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“Councils want to play their full part in the national effort to defeat this disease, and greater testing in our communities is a really important step.
"It is a credit to our armed forces that they will oversee the roll out of mobile testing, which will give us a real chance to safely return thousands of staff back to the front line.
“With greater capacity to deliver more tests, the Government should prioritise those at most risk, including staff who work in care homes and support the most vulnerable.
“The Government’s testing regime should also be complemented by making use of existing local knowledge and skills on the ground.
“Where councils do help test those with COVID-19, any demand on existing services would need to be met by additional resources and funding. We look forward to working with the Government on the detail.”