Liverpool taxi drivers urged to get tested after Covid spike

All hackney cab and private hire drivers operating in Liverpool are urged to be tested for coronavirus

Taxi drivers in Liverpool are being urged to get tested for coronavirus as part of a bid to tackle a spike in infections in the city.

Any hackney cab or private hire driver operating in the city can have the test whether or not they show symptoms.

The move comes after an increase in infections in the Princes Park ward which includes Toxteth and Dingle.

Extra measures include the opening of a second mobile testing centre in the area.

Liverpool Director of Public Health Matt Ashton said the move was a "proactive and preventative" measure as taxi drivers were identified as a "risk area".

"It is really important we protect the workforce and anybody using the taxis," he said.

"We want to make sure we are keeping our taxi drivers and their customers safe.

"Covid is still around, it hasn't gone away and it is up to all of us to help keep everybody safe".

Cases 'double'

Liverpool has seen a "significant increase" in confirmed cases of coronavirus with numbers almost doubling from 37 between 20 and 27 July to 71 the following week, said the council.

The majority of new cases have been centred on communities in the L8 postcode, which includes the Princes Park ward.

In response, the council has set up two walk-in testing facilities, one at the Princess Park health centre car park on Kingsley Road and a new facility at the multicultural centre on Mulgrave Street.

Princes Park is one of Liverpool's most multicultural and ethnically diverse wards.

Public health officials have been in the area, knocking on doors, and putting out public health information in a range of languages.

They have also been "complementing" the national test and trace system, by looking in more detail at the movements of people who test positive.

Other measures include:

• the closure of all community buildings for two weeks

• all gatherings and events suspended for two weeks

• advising people not to visit other households unless that visit is essential

• advising people not to stay overnight in another household

People who work in cafes and restaurants on Lodge Lane in the area are also being encouraged to get tested, along with those who have recently been to religious services in the area.