Another dramatic headline that immediately falls apart when reading the piece. Taxi drivers *to offer* LFT tests quickly becomes *could offer* them.
And there's zero detail. Sounds like a back-of-the-envelope plan that hasn't been discussed with the trade, and will in all likelihood will never get off the ground
Taxi drivers in Lincoln to offer coronavirus tests to revellers on their way home
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news ... ts-wrapper
Shops will also stock free tests and there will be a mobile testing under moves to cut the city's high infection rates
Taxi drivers could offer revellers a Covid test on their way home as Lincoln continues to record England's highest infection rate.
Health bosses want cabbies to offer customers a lateral flow test as they drop them off at their destination.
It is part of a series of new schemes to begin in the next couple of days, which also includes free tests offered by High Street shops, a roving testing unit in the Cornhill and a community outreach team.
Lincoln continues to have high infection rates and sits at the top of the table nationally, with its own rate having risen from 568 per 100,000 people at the beginning of the week to 751/100,000 on Friday, August 6. The national average is 282.
Two thirds of the 742 cases in the past seven days have been in the 18-30 age groups.
Natalie Liddle, from Public Health Lincolnshire, said officials did not want to demonise the younger generation but there was lots of work being done to increase accessibility and awareness of safety measures.
She said: “What we don’t want to do is blame our younger people because, if anything, we owe a great debt to them for the last 20 months.
“They have been isolating, furloughed, missing their education, and that was all to protect our older population so I think there’s a balanced message now to try and encourage and support the wider community, that final cohort of people, to come forward.”
The aim instead is to encourage younger people to take responsibility for their own safety, and that of others.
This can include doing an LFT as they get ready to go out and remembering to take masks and hand sanitiser, as well as keep socially distanced where possible.
Natalie added: “That’s not to say that it’s being enforced and that you have to wear those things but you actually may get into a situation where you feel, personally, uncomfortable, and therefore that protection will be something of a comfort to you on your night out, but enjoy yourself, enjoy the fact that you have that opportunity to mix we’ve not had that for 20 months and that’s really really important.”
The roving unit will be at the Cornhill all next week (commencing August 9) from 10am to 3pm daily.
Bars, restaurants and nightclubs will also be asked to help amplify the messages about getting tested and getting the vaccine, via their venues and their social media channels.
Figures released by the NHS on Thursday showed one-in-four people under the age of 30 still had not had the vaccine.
As part of the plans, vaccine pop-up centres could also be held, though details are still to be confirmed.
Natalie said the main message at the moment to all age groups was to get that second dose when available.
She said the many of the venues in the city had been pro-active in protecting themselves from viral outbreaks. However, early reports indicated that a nightclub in the city was the location for a number of cases.
She could not say when numbers would start to look better, but added that volatility was expected, especially come autumn and winter as children go back to school.
Natalie said: “The main message is if we can get that vaccination programme where we where we want it to be, if we can get everybody vaccinated, then, of course, the impact is much less and we won’t be seeing people that are being hospitalised, really poorly or, indeed, dying.”
