Anglesey Council is proud to play its part in supporting the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy.
Test, Trace, Protect will introduce extensive contact tracing health surveillance across Wales in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and provide a key enabler for future relaxation of lockdown measures.
The strategy will include asking people to report symptoms, testing anyone in the community who is showing symptoms of virus and tracing those they have come into close contact with.
On Tuesday, (May 26th) Anglesey Council became the latest local authority to join the contact tracing pilot before a national roll-out of the Test, Trace, Protect strategy by Welsh Government on Monday (June 1st).
Anglesey will work in partnership with Welsh Government, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Public Health Wales. Its contact tracing pilot will focus primarily on Council staff, particularly those working in care settings, who test positive for Coronavirus. Staff will be referred into the contact tracing process following internal testing.
Other pilots have also seen Hywel Dda, Powys and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health boards working with local authorities since May 18th.
Anglesey Council Leader, Cllr Llinos Medi, explained, “We have redeployed a number of staff to undertake the contact tracing process and to contact colleagues who test positive for Coronavirus. Their work, and that undertaken in other pilot areas, will be vital in informing the strategy on a national basis and ultimately help towards easing current restrictions.”
She added, “We are proud to be part of this important pilot and the important national Test, Trace, Protect strategy, which will help save lives. I’d like to thank the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, our colleagues at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Public Health Wales and local authority partners for their guidance and support during the pilot process - and, above all, our staff who are working tirelessly to deliver the pilot on Anglesey.”
Contact tracing is a long established public health approach to containing the spread of many infections and has proven effective in controlling coronavirus in other countries. Those contacted will be advised to self-isolate to stop further spread among family, friends and the community.
Anglesey Chief Executive, Annwen Morgan, added, “The Test, Trace, Protect work stream is a priority for the County Council. Taking part in this project will allow us to contribute towards the national effort to protect the health and well-being of the people of Wales as well as our own residents here on Anglesey.”
The Welsh Government approach will bring together and build on the existing contact tracing expertise of local health boards and utilise local authorities to delivery its strategy on the ground.
Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said, “All health board and local authority partners have responded with determination and commitment to operationalise the tracing plan set out in Test, Trace, Protect. The reality is that the strategy will only work if we make full use of the existing local knowledge, skills and expertise, and I am grateful to Anglesey Council for their key role in making the pilot such a success.”
Ends 28.5.20