COUNCIL bosses have revealed how it will deal with any local coronavirus flare-ups in the borough – with its plan including data collection, emergency equipment stockpiles, mass testing and a £1.15m boost.

The council received cash from central government to develop and implement an outbreak control plan which shows exactly what the area can expect if there is a localised outbreak in future.

The document said: “The impact of Covid-19 is still to be calculated but is hard to underestimate. In Trafford, we have all seen our lives and our work change hugely over a very short period of time.

“We are now adjusting to new ways of working, and having moved out of the most immediate response phase, are now considering how we return to a more normal life without risking an increase in cases of Covid-19.

“Providing the level of protection [for] our workforce and our population is our priority.”

Early in the pandemic, the authority established six community support hubs staffed with council representatives, volunteers and specialists.A helpline was set up and Trafford teamed up with Manchester council to create a mutual aid hub.

The authority also tested all staff and residents at all care homes, regardless of whether symptoms were shown or not.

But now as part of the new plan, the council said ‘the bulk of the money’ given to it by government will be spent on PPE, contact tracing and infection prevention and control measures.

This includes maintaining an emergency stockpile of PPE to ensure the borough can react to any future outbreak quickly.

Sheltered housing, dormitories for migrant workers, meat processing factories, transport access, rough sleepers and sofa surfers have all been identified as high risk groupings by the council – as well as care homes.