'Figures show 97 per cent of Covid-19 tests in Luton are negative'

“There’s no change in the NHS funding provision for testing,” according to the council's service director for healthy lives, Lucy Hubber.

“The challenge is the ability of laboratories to cope with the huge increase in demand,” she said.

“We’re hoping to get an extra site located at the university to serve students and the community.

“The advice remains for our population that if they’re symptomatic, they should stay at home for ten days and the rest of the family isolate for 14 days.”

Ringing 111 or turning up at accident and emergency will not result in a test being given, she explained.

“It’s only through ringing 119 or online via the government website.”

A flexible testing team is due to be trialled this week (commencing September 21).

Ms Hubber added: “If there’s an outbreak in a workplace or a school, we could send in this team to complete the test...

“We continue to have real success with our contact tracing team, who deliver really high rates.

“The national test and trace has about a 70 per cent success rate. Our local team has raised that some weeks up to 92 per cent.

“That’s the difference between really managing an outbreak.”

Luton is no longer on the government coronavirus watch list, with the numbers “hanging around 25/26 cases per 100,000”, which is below the national average, Ms Hubber informed the board.

“But it’s higher than we would wish. The position on deaths is the same, with very low levels in recent months.”

The local authority has begun looking at its enforcement powers over the rule of six, working with Bedfordshire Police around its leadership role.

Labour Farley councillor Mahmood Hussain asked if residents can get a test locally or if they have to travel far.

“That picture has improved,” she replied. “We’re getting local tests through.

“We haven’t had some of the very far flung cases for a while now, but we’re still seeing people sent to London for tests occasionally.

“Tests are available most days if people check. It’s very stressful for our population.

“And it’s absolutely not what we’d hope for that anyone with symptoms would struggle this much to get a test."

Councillor Hussain also asked if care home workers have access to Covid-19 tests.

The council’s director of public health, Gerry Taylor said: “There’s a system for ensuring regular testing for those working in residential and care homes being put in place.

“We’re looking at the best way of doing that in terms of the capacity we have across the East of England.

“We’ve had guidance in place for a while restricting agency workers to only working in one place.

“We collect regular information from all the care homes so we can monitor this situation.”