WIREDGOV

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responded to a National Audit Office report on test and trace in England covering the period November 2020 to April 2021 

“Councils have been leading the local response to the pandemic across the country, complementing the national test and trace system by setting up their own local contact tracing partnerships and successfully tracing many hard-to-reach cases.

“As this report highlights, local authorities’ involvement in testing and tracing has increased significantly but challenges remain, including the need for greater data sharing to help them deal with localised outbreaks.

“Coronavirus will be with us for many months and years ahead. Councils with their public health responsibilities want to play their full part in helping to design a test and trace strategy for the medium and long-term which keeps our communities safe.

“With the necessary resources, data and personnel councils can respond swiftly to any future local outbreaks or variants.”

Test and trace in England – progress update