West Midlands councils today stressed that testing will be key to preventing further COVID-19 lockdowns across the region and urged citizens and businesses to play their part.
With large parts of northern England waking to new local lockdown rules this morning, council leaders and public health bosses have made it clear that widespread testing is now more important than ever to reduce the prospect of similar action in the West Midlands.
Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils are urging people who have COVID-19 symptoms or who have come into contact with anyone who has tested positive to get tested.
The seven local authorities also reiterated the importance of businesses contacting Public Health England as a case is identified – either confirmed or suspected – in a staff or customer.
Leader of Birmingham City Council Cllr Ian Ward said: “As we’ve seen with Leicester and now the north of England, this pandemic is far from over and there’s no room for complacency. Testing is absolutely essential if we’re going to limit the spread of the virus across the West Midlands and save lives and every single one of us can play a part.
“Rates of testing have dropped over the last week in the West Midlands and it is essential that anyone with symptoms, however mild, rings 119 or goes to the NHS website to book a test. We are working with the Department of Health to expand the number of testing sites across the region and increase opportunities for walk-through testing as well. By testing you get the reassurance of knowing if you have Covid-19 or not and you get the right advice to keep you and your family safe.
“We are also seeing across the region that workplaces are becoming sources of outbreaks and spread, but if public health are contacted quickly when managers find out about the first suspected or confirmed case then the right advice can be given and we can control things quickly.
“In most cases this also means the business doesn’t need to close and things can be controlled. Staying silent means the virus spreads, putting staff and customers at risk, and where businesses haven’t stepped up and reached out for help quickly there have been outbreaks that have grown and impacted on the wider community.”