'Absolutely the wrong time' as Bradford council told by goverment to stop doing door-to-door coronavirus testing

A Yorkshire council whose area has one of the highest infection rates in the country has been forced to stop doing door-to-door testing for coronavirus after the Government decided to stop providing home testing kits.

Bradford council has written to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock to request an urgent review of the Government’s decision to stop PCR kits to the district for use at home. It has now had to pause the daily door-to-door testing it has been carrying out in the district over the last five months at a rate of 6,000 a month.

The Labour-run authority's council leader Susan Hinchcliffe says it is "absolutely the wrong time" for the Government to reduce its testing capacity when Bradford is the area with the 36th-highest infection rate nationwide.

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Bradford council leader Susan HinchcliffeBradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe
Bradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe
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It believes a range of different testing options are required in the district and home testing can provide a more convenient alternative for those who may find it challenging to regularly travel to one of the testing sites.

The council said in a statement: "Door-to-door testing also enables the Council to target areas where levels of the virus are persistently high, helping develop an understanding of what is happening in these areas and communities.

"These visits provide an opportunity to ensure everyone has the right information about what to do to reduce the risk of introducing COVID-19 into their homes, including dispelling the myths about vaccinations."

Coun Hinchcliffe said: “The Government’s decision has come at a period when Bradford District has climbed to 36th nationally in terms of areas with highest infection rates. It’s absolutely the wrong time for the Government to reduce our capacity to test our residents using the methods we know can work.

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“The council has been offering almost 6,000 door-to-door tests a month. We believe that this offer is fundamental to our testing strategy and enables a targeted approach that cannot be paralleled by alternatives such as the rapid test centres.

“Home testing in areas of high infection is an important way in which we can monitor the spread of the virus, isolate new infections and use track and trace to identify the people those who have been infected have had close contact with.

“Door-to-door testing has been vital in engaging with residents and communities who have been apprehensive about being tested. Through frequent visits and engagement work we have been able to encourage many residents to take a test from home, where they otherwise wouldn’t have had one at all.

“We also use these face-to-face visits as an opportunity to reinforce key messages about COVID, dispel myths and respond to the general concerns of our residents.

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“There are also many practical reasons why many of the people we have tested door-to-door cannot visit a rapid test centre regularly. While the centres in Keighley and Bradford are important, it’s just not realistic to think that everyone would make the trip.

“We are therefore writing to the Government to request that they urgently reconsider this decision so that we can continue to deliver a flexible testing strategy that meets the needs of everyone in our district.”

For the seven days to February 12, Bradford's rate of new cases per 100,000 people is 207.5, above the national and regional average.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for a comment.

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Separately, Bradford Central Mosque at Westgate in the city has opened its doors to become a community COVID-19 vaccination centre.

The move marks the beginning of a major initiative seeing Bradford Council for Mosques team up with local GPs to accelerate and increase take-up of the vaccine.

It is part of a series of measures to give positive information and reassurance about vaccines and encourage uptake among all priority at-risk groups amid fears of low vaccine uptake among BAME communities.

For more information on alternative options for testing in Bradford District, please visit www.bradford.gov.uk/health/health-advice-and-support/coronavirus-testing-in-bradford-district.