Bradford Council plea for more support to tackle Covid-19 infection rate

Infection rates have been falling in the district, but not at the same pace as most other parts of England and Bradford is now back in the top 10 of local authority areas with the highest rates of infection.

Bradford Council has said that recent in-depth research into three UK regions, including Bradford, identified a combination of factors that are causing sustained community transmission. They include deprivation, employment and living in multi-generational households, or in accommodation that is crowded.

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “A huge amount of rigorous and dedicated work has been happening to reduce infection rates in our district throughout the pandemic, and that work will carry on. I want to thank everyone involved for their tireless work and I thank residents for their patience.

“But we are at a crucial moment. As we head towards the greater easing of restrictions we need to take really rapid action if we are to continue to reduce the prevalence of Covid-19. There is no quick fix but we think the additional measures we are asking Government for can make a big difference.  But we need the Government to work with us and support us in achieving this.

“The vaccination programme is really important, but we need flexibility to prioritise those areas with highest infection levels. And of course we need to stress to everyone to keep to the core disciplines of social distancing and of Hands, Face, Space.

"The key asks are:
1. Increase local flexibility in testing delivery

• We want to make available rapid lateral flow tests (LFT) for everyone in our district so that we can regularly test ourselves at home. This will make it easier for those who feel there’s a stigma around testing, or who can’t easily visit a community site.
• Continue support for door-to door PCR testing of asymptomatic individuals.
• Investment in campaigns so we can get across the message that regular Covid-19 testing is a ‘normal’ thing to do.

2. More support for contact tracing

• We’re already successfully doing contact tracing for positive cases that the national test and trace system struggles to get in touch with.  We want permission to be able to trace contacts, as well as positive cases, that the national team cannot reach.

3. Improved financial support to enable effective self-isolation

• We want enhanced financial support for more people on low pay who don’t currently qualify for that support if they get a positive test.  This would reduce the stigma that many people feel with claiming support and help employees where there is no sick pay scheme in place.

4. Help to maximise the vaccine programme in our district

• We need greater flexibility so that we can target vaccinations in places with higher infection levels. This would include vaccinating all adults in multi-generational households and prioritising people with underlying health conditions."
  
  Bradford Council’s Director of Public Health, Sarah Muckle, said: “This additional support would enable us to facilitate the widest possible test and trace operations.

“It would help us to tackle stigma or apathy towards testing by making the process easier and something everyone can easily participate in. It would also help us offer better wraparound support to those who stand to lose most financially if they return a positive test.

“Less than one in five people in the UK as a whole is able to adhere to isolation rules. Research shows that this is often because people are on low earnings or work in a high exposure job. Until the vaccine has been rolled out to the wider population, we will need to offer more support for people so they can self-isolate and help us reduce transmission of Covid-19.

“We know how to lead a joined-up approach to properly tackle the issues around sustained community transmission of the virus in our district, but we need government support to do that.”