Responding to the publication of the latest NHS Test and Trace and coronavirus testing figures, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“It remains a huge concern that the national test and trace system is only picking up six out of every ten contacts of people who tested positive, when we need to reach the recommended 80 per cent benchmark to get this virus under control.
“Local health protection teams have reached 99.1 per cent of contacts who were asked to self-isolate, compared to 59 per cent of close contacts managed either online or by call centres.
“We need to do all we can to prevent this second wave from escalating further. Councils across the country have launched their own locally-supported contact tracing arrangements, to complement the national system and successfully trace many hard-to-reach cases.
“Councils continue to need clearer, more precise information on who they should be trying to contact as soon as possible, including details such as occupation and workplace, alongside the funding and extra personnel to respond quickly to outbreaks.”
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