Testing for South Tyneside Council workers 'at sharp end' of pandemic

The government’s coronavirus screening regime has been extended to include any council staff thought to be showing symptoms.

And although their efforts are not directly related to the fight against the disease, their ‘critical’ work has been praised by ministers.

Tracey Dixon, deputy leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “Many of our staff are at the sharp end of this pandemic, working within our communities to provide essential services and care for some of those most at risk of contracting the virus.

“Therefore, actively promoting testing for our eligible key employees in South Tyneside, such as teaching staff, social workers and other frontline staff will be a priority for us over coming days and weeks.”

The work of council staff was also recognised in an open letter from Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In it he referenced local authority responsibilities for ‘supporting vulnerable people, distributing financial relief to struggling businesses and ensuring rubbish and recycling is collected’, as well as ‘keeping schools open for the children of key workers and getting rough sleepers off our streets to protect them from the virus’.

Council workers considered ‘critical to the effective delivery of the coronavirus response’ or who are responsible for ‘essential public services’, such as benefits payments, are officially designated ‘essential workers’ who can be tested if they show COVID-19 symptoms.

This also extends to members of their household.

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