Leaders from councils and emergency services across Cheshire met today to discuss the impact the Government’s month-long lockdown will have on the county.
And they now plan to bring forward a localised test, trace and isolate system, to be fully operational at the end of the new lockdown period.
Cheshire East Council Leader Cllr Sam Corcoran (pictured) met with leaders from Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington and Halton Council, as well as Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane and police chiefs.
The group said it strongly endorses the renewed message to “Stay At Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”.
Cllr Corcoran said: “We have spoken out over the last eight months, when the government was slow to act, failed to deliver critical support, relied too heavily on opaque national commercial contracts, didn’t provide enough certainty to protect jobs and businesses, and made announcements without proper consultation with local government.
“But, given where we now are, the pressures on our NHS, and the advice of national and local public health experts, we support the government’s decision to introduce a time-limited national lockdown.”
The Group says it recognises immense challenges the next lockdown will create.
Leaders say they are “committed to provide as much local support as possible to residents, communities and businesses”.
And they called on government to provide more support for business, with additional support for the most exposed sectors including culture, hospitality, tourism, and associated supply chains.
Leaders also called for a comprehensive solution to the funding of local public services.
Cllr Louise Gittins, chair of the Outbreak Coordination Group which overseas Cheshire’s response to covid-19, added: “We now need to use this time to make a difference beyond November.
“We need an exit strategy.
“By using this time to put in place the right local and national systems, we can put ourselves in a better position to keep the virus under control through Christmas and into 2021.”
They called for a precondition for a successful exit from lockdown in an effective system for testing, contact tracing, and support to isolate.
“The national system still contains significant gaps which have limited its effectiveness,” they added.
“A localised system has been demonstrated to deliver more success at containing the virus, with considerable best-practice shown here in Cheshire.”
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