Mass testing for everyone in the Liverpool City Region has been offered to local leaders by the government, the ECHO understands.
The mass testing programme in the city of Liverpool began a fortnight ago, but now the rest of the city region has been offered the chance to have coronavirus tests made available to its entire population.
The news was revealed at last night’s meeting of Wirral Council’s adult social care and health committee and the borough council has not yet decided whether to accept the offer.
This offer comes in addition to the 10,000 rapid-turnaround tests for symptom-free people given to Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton on November 10.
The committee voted to approve the rollout of the 10,000 tests in Wirral at the meeting.
Julie Webster, Wirral’s director of public health, sounded a note of caution last night, saying that no additional resources to deliver the tests had been offered by central government.
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Ms Webster added that it is a “big ask” for the borough to deliver mass testing without any more money or assistance.
She noted that when mass testing was rolled out in Liverpool around 2,000 soldiers were drafted in to help the programme run smoothly.
It is not known exactly how many tests will be offered in addition to the 10,000 announced last week, but the programme offered to the rest of the city region is said to be similar to the one currently being rolled out in Liverpool itself.
Labour councillor Yvonne Nolan, who chairs the committee, said that if mass testing comes without further resources or support she was inclined to turn it down.
This mood of scepticism was shared across the committee.
Cllr Phil Gilchrist, the leader of Wirral Council’s Lib Dem group, asked: “Are we being set up to fail?”
The Eastham councillor also asked whether the council could turn down the mass testing offer if there was a lack of resources and change its mind should the government decide to offer more support.
Cllr Gilchrist added that testing was only one part of the picture and that getting people to self-isolate when they are told to by test and trace was also a major challenge.
Under Wirral's current plans, frontline social care staff will be at the front of the queue for the batch of 10,000 tests, followed by high-risk settings such as Wirral Hospice and homeless hostels, then several categories of key workers including emergency services staff, social workers and refuse collectors.
After these groups, Wirral’s black and minority ethnic (BAME) population will be in line for a test, followed by local large employers.
Independent councillor Moira McLaughlin suggested that a better approach than the government's offer of mass testing of asymptomatic people might be an increase in the level of targeted testing, expanding the categories of vulnerability being used to prioritise the current batch of 10,000 tests.
As well as this, testing could focus on the wards with the highest number of cases. Currently, Rock Ferry and Claughton have the highest case numbers in the borough.
Ms Webster said that would be her preferred approach, adding that workers in trades which involve high levels of human interaction such as taxi drivers and bus drivers could also be tested.
Ms Webster added that targeted testing in particular areas could be preferable to offering tests to everyone.
Issuing an update to Wirral's negotiations with the government today, Ms Webster said: “We are working hard to further develop the borough’s Covid-19 testing offer.
“Conversations are ongoing with central Government to broaden testing availability in Wirral and in many boroughs across the country, but I am pleased that our plans for a targeted symptom-free testing pilot in Wirral have been given the green light after last night’s committee.”
Cllr Nolan said: “Done well, this targeted testing scheme has the potential to reduce transmission across the borough and possibly even allow monitored and time-limited visiting for our care homes and other settings.
“While we await updates on any further mass testing schemes, I can tell you that this targeted testing rollout will be led, directed, and coordinated by Wirral teams, whose local knowledge, experience and connections will be invaluable.”
