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Those Working Through Lockdown Urged to Get Tested
People who must risk leaving their homes and mixing with others during lockdown are being urged to keep getting repeated tests for Covid-19 within the Liverpool City Region.
The successful Liverpool pilot to deliver SMART testing was rolled-out across the City Region just before Christmas; to target everyone in the area and find positive people who were not showing symptoms.
However, with a national lockdown in place and most people urged to stay home, the 20 non-symptomatic sites across the City Region are now being used to target key workers, and those who have to mix with others because of either paid, or unpaid, caring commitments.
Although people often see key workers as emergency or “blue light” staff the LCR pilot is aimed at everyone who has to continue mixing because of their job role. This includes both public and private sector workers such as essential shop and supermarket staff, taxi drivers, postal workers and many other key services that we continue to rely on during lockdown.
The leaders of the six City Region Local Authorities and Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, are urging people in such roles to continue coming forward for the rapid test.
“SMART” testing refers to Systematic, Meaningful, Asymptomatic, Repeated Testing, and around 250,000 people have now been tested as part of the pilot. Repeatedly testing those who have no symptoms, in a targeted way, has helped to keep infection numbers lower than many other areas in the North West.
Everyone must continue to be vigilant however as the new variant of Covid-19 is spread more easily than the first. This means that staying home if you can, maintaining a safe distance from others, washing your hands and avoiding touching your face are more important than ever.
Anyone who must mix with others during lockdown, for legitimate work or care reasons, can simply turn-up for rapid, regular and free testing without having symptoms of Covid-19. People taking the test usually get their results within the hour.
In addition to the City Region testing facilities, a new non-symptomatic test centre has also been set-up in Cheshire.
All six Local Authorities in the Liverpool City Region (Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral) are taking part in the pilot programme.
In a joint statement, the Metro Mayor, Acting Mayor of Liverpool and the Local Authority Leaders, said:
Steve Rotheram
Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Cllr Rob Polhill
Leader of Halton Council
Cllr Graham Morgan
Leader of Knowsley Council
Wendy Simon
Acting Mayor of Liverpool
Cllr Ian Maher
Leader of Sefton Council
Cllr David Baines
Leader of St Helens Council
Cllr Janette Williamson
Leader of Wirral Council
Executive Director of Sefton Council, Andrea Watts, who is helping to co-ordinate the LCR testing pilot, added:
For more information on when and how testing is available in your area, and an interactive map of non-symptomatic testing locations, please visit your Local Authority website.
#LetsGetTested
#LetsGetVaccinated
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