To encourage more people to get tested and self-isolate if required, the UK government is launching a $12 million scheme in nine areas in partnership with local authorities.
People living in overcrowded houses who have to self-isolate will be offered alternative accommodation under the new scheme. Apart from self-isolation, the scheme will also offer social care support for vulnerable adults, provide ‘buddying’ services for people whose mental health has been affected by lockdown and the variant outbreaks, and language communications support for non-English speaking individuals.
“We recognise just how challenging self-isolation is for many people and these pilots will help us find the best ways to support people and making it easier for everyone to keep doing their bit,” Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said, adding that it is “vital” to follow the rules and self-isolate to show virus the “exit door.”
The areas that will receive funding from a £12m pot for the pilots are:
- Newham and Hackney in London
- Yorkshire and Humber
- Lancashire, Blackburn & Darwen
- Blackpool
- Greater Manchester
- Cheshire and Merseyside
- Royal Borough of Kingston
- Peterborough, Fenland and South Holland
- Somerset
The government is already backing a £2million-pilot across the Greater Manchester region to assess ways of helping people self-isolate, under which ‘support and engagement teams’ reach out to the households within 24 hours of a positive test to develop a bespoke plan for self-isolation.
Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said that the partnership with local councils has seen us reach more positive cases of the virus than ever before, many of whom were people who could otherwise have unknowingly spread the virus.
The government has acted swiftly and decisively to tackle head-on the spread of the B1.617.2 variant, first identified in India. Working in partnership with local authorities, the UK government is working round the clock to help to control the spread of variants through measures like additional surge testing, genomic sequencing and enhanced contact tracing.
“Rapidly targeting local outbreaks and supporting people to self-isolate when required is absolutely crucial to our continuing fight against coronavirus,” Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said. “These pilot schemes will provide further insight into what works best in supporting those who test positive and their contacts to do the right thing to protect themselves, their families, and their wider communities.”
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event