Better test and trace system essential to encouraging office workers back into town and city centres, says Burnham

A ‘fully functioning’ national Test and Trace system will be essential to encouraging people back into their workplaces, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said.

Many businesses in Manchester city centre and across the city-region that depend on office workers for custom are fearing for their future since trade has plummeted during lockdown.

Mr Burnham has said in the past that ensuring social distancing on public transport would be key to rebuilding the local economy.

He has stressed the importance of improving the NHS Test and Trace system while also supporting people on low incomes to self-isolate on full pay.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “The national test and trace system is not working in Greater Manchester.

“That is our first line of defence against this virus, a fully functioning test and trace is intended to support people to return to a degree of normality that is the whole point.

“You want that safety net to be as tight as possible. The longer we delay these changes the more we’ll affect that building of business confidence that we need to see.”

More than a third of people who have tested positive with Covid-19 have not given any contacts, leaving significant holes in the national picture.

In Greater Manchester around 22,000 people have already been asked to self-isolate, with Mr Burnham and other regional leaders calling on the government to give councils more resources to support the system on a local level.

However, the government has announced its intention to financially support certain people asked by NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate, if they live in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle or Oldham. Mr Burnham has repeatedly called for the introduction of such a scheme.

He said: “I have been calling for weeks for the government to provide financial support for those asked to self-isolate. I am pleased they have at last acknowledged this issue but am sorry to say this move goes nowhere near far enough.

“The Health Secretary has already said that he couldn’t live on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) at £95 a week. So how can an announcement like this work?

“For many workers in Greater Manchester, this will not provide the support people need to cooperate with NHS Test and Trace. Having belatedly acknowledged that something needs to be done, government must now accept the calls of the ‘Time Out to Help Out’ campaign and support people across the country to self-isolate on full pay.

“For us to get a grip on this virus before we head into a winter without a vaccine, the vast majority of those contacted by national Test and Trace need to be able to self-isolate immediately and not worry about loss of earnings or, worse, losing a job. Quite simply, these measures are not good enough.”

When asked if it was safe for workers to return to Manchester city centre, Mr Burnham said he would be returning to his office on a temporary basis in the next two weeks.

He hoped that his decision would ‘send a message’ that others could do the same, adding: “It can be done safely if people wear face coverings on the commute, observe social distancing, and if the workplace is properly arranged to support all of those things.

“We’re conscious that there are businesses in the city that need to see the return of people to the office to bring that vibrancy back. 

“We do want to bring people back to the city to support businesses, these are still very challenging times for the hospitality sector.

“All of this business confidence comes from confidence that the virus is being successfully managed, and the NHS Test and Trace system is not that system yet.”

Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporter