Scottish Greens Lothian MSP Alison Johnstone has called on the Scottish Government to urgently introduce regular testing for staff in care homes in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
The party published proposals (see below) calling for the regular testing of frontline care workers and NHS staff in April, in a bid to ease the anxiety of staff and reduce the spread of the virus, yet the Scottish Government has resisted repeated requests to do so.
This refusal comes despite the proposal receiving the backing of influential organisations like the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Alison Johnstone MSP said: “It’s beyond doubt that regular testing is needed both to protect frontline staff and to get control of this virus.
“A growing list of experts and organisations have backed Scottish Green proposals for regular testing, so it is difficult to understand why the Scottish Government hasn’t made this a priority.
“Staff may be unknowingly spreading the virus in care homes, so it’s vital that the government uses the significant spare testing capacity it has available and introduces regular testing at once.”
https://greens.scot/sites/default/files/COVID-19%20Testing%20
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