Clwyd West AM Darren Millar has criticised the Welsh Government for refusing to expand Covid-19 testing for all residents of care homes and is urging Ministers to change their minds.
Darren and his Welsh Conservative colleagues have been calling for mandatory testing in care homes across Wales and are therefore outraged that the Welsh Government has today refused to implement such measures.
Darren said:
“Yesterday, the UK Government pledged to introduce testing for all residents of care homes, something we have been calling for here in Wales too, but the Welsh Health Minister has flatly refused, stating on BBC Radio Wales earlier that he had been given advice that testing everyone in the sector was not the best use of resources. It is absolutely outrageous that residents in care homes in Wales are not being safeguarded in the same way as those across the border in England.
“There are a vast number of care homes in my constituency and I know residents and staff at each and every one of them will be concerned at the Health Minister’s refusal today to make testing mandatory.
“it is absolutely vital that we are able to determine the true risk of Covid-19 in care homes and this can only be achieved by testing everyone. I therefore urge the Welsh Government to seriously reconsider its position on this and to overturn this decision urgently. Too many lives have already been lost as a result of this pandemic and the Welsh Government need to be taking every action they can to prevent a further escalation of deaths.”