Shadow Cabinet Office minister
Rachel Reeves
Asked on the Andrew Marr Show whether 316, tests a day is enough, Reeves said:
If we are to come out of the lockdown in the weeks and the months ahead that level of testing needs to be ramped up further.
The prime minister spoke previously about 456, a day and tests Certainly if we’re going to come out of the lockdown we know that we’re going to need mass testing at a community level, that people can reach those tests locally without having to travel many miles.
If we are to come out of the lockdown it is essential that we know who has the virus so we can isolate them, that we can trace who they’ve been in contact with so potentially they isolate as well and that we have support for shielding people, the most vulnerable, and making sure they get access to the basic essentials like food and medicine.
She also urged the government “to count the number of deaths in care homes in the same way that they are counted in hospitals on a daily basis” and to ensure that those on the front line are properly protected .
Updated
Scotland should “look seriously at social and economic reform” in its planning for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic,
Nicola Sturgeon has said, PA reports.
The first minister said the virus has fundamentally changed everyday life but has given an opportunity to shape a different kind of future.
Stressing that lockdown measures are vital to suppress the spread of coronavirus, and could continue in their current form beyond this three-week period, she called on people to work together to develop ways Scotland can emerge stronger from the crisis.
Writing in the Herald on Sunday, she said:
When things come apart – when the kaleidoscope of our lives is shaken – there is an opportunity to see them put back together differently, and see a new way of doing things.
And we can start to think together, and work together, to decide the kind of Scotland we want to emerge from this crisis.
We still all face major challenges. Challenges in navigating the uncertainties that the virus has created, as well as rebuilding our economy and public services.
But we can go further than rebuilding, and look seriously at social and economic reform.
I am confident we can start to begin considering our futures with optimism because this crisis has taught us how we can achieve rapid results under the most demanding circumstances.
Earlier this week, as the Scottish Government published a paper setting out a framework for how lockdown measures could be eased in the future, Sturgeon warned people must adapt to a new reality and said some restrictions to prevent spread could be in place until the end of the year or beyond.
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