Coronavirus: Track and trace a 'mammoth task' in Wales

Tracking and tracing coronavirus cases in Wales is a "mammoth" task, the leader of the Welsh Local Government Association has said.

Andrew Morgan said councils would need "significant additional resources" for the "vital" work.

The Welsh Government wants its "Test, Trace, Protect" programme (TTP) operational by the end of May.

It acknowledged this would require "significant resources" and said it was working with local authorities.

TTP involves testing people who have symptoms and identifying others with whom they have been in close contact and asking them to self-isolate.

The government's lockdown exit plan made clear TTP's success was central to making the easing of lockdown measures possible.

It would involve increasing testing capacity for those in hospital, care homes and key workers to about 10,000 by the end of the month.

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A further 10,000 tests a day may be needed for the general public, mainly done by home-test kits.

Testing capacity is currently about 5,000 a day and 1,421 tests were done on Thursday 14 May.

The government thinks some 1,000 staff would initially be needed, including people working for local authorities.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said a trial of the plan would begin in some parts of the country next week.

Andrew Morgan: "Mammoth work to manage the disease in local communities"

Andrew Morgan, who is also leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, said the Welsh Government's plan was "ambitious and will require significant additional resources" to be successfully delivered.

"Alongside specially-trained council public protection officers, and partners in health, other non-clinical staff will need to be either recruited or redeployed to support the mammoth work to manage the disease in local communities," he said.

"Welsh Government has recognised that this work will come at a cost, and councils will continue to work with ministers to explore the implications and the funding required."

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A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Our Test, Trace, Protect strategy will require significant resources to deliver.

"We will be working closely with partners.

"Our approach will bring together and build on the existing contact tracing expertise of our local health boards and particularly our local authorities to delivery this strategy on the ground."

Officials also confirmed the Welsh Government would be working with Westminster to help "increase testing capacity further by drawing on the UK-wide testing programme for the general public and critical workers".

"In order to deliver our 'Test Trace Protect' strategy and ramp up contact tracing and testing to the general public, we now need to look at greater integration with UK-wide digital platforms and processing systems," a spokesman said.

"Further detail on this will be announced next week."

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart MP said it was "welcome news" and an "important step".