The United Kingdom government has announced a new Infection Control Fund worth 600 million pounds ($730 million) to tackle the coronavirus disease outbreak in the country's care homes, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday amid criticism of the Conservative Party's handling of the epidemiological crisis
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2020) The United Kingdom government has announced a new Infection Control Fund worth 600 million Pounds ($730 million) to tackle the coronavirus disease outbreak in the country's care homes, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday amid criticism of the Conservative Party's handling of the epidemiological crisis.
"This 600 million Infection Control Fund will help as we continue to reduce infections in care homes and save lives," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a press release.
The package will be given to care homes to help them fund the necessary response to slow the spread of the outbreak among the elderly population, the department said. Primarily, funds will be utilized to employ more staff, as care workers will now only be allowed to work in one facility.
The government has faced severe criticism over its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country's care homes. According to the National Office of Statistics, 12,526 care home residents died as a result of COVID-19 from March 2 to May 1, and significant numbers of workers have also tested positive for the disease.
On Sunday, Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner stated that care workers have been "tragically let down" by the government. During an appearance on the BBC broadcaster on the same day, cabinet minister Michael Gove said that lawmakers have "big lessons" to learn in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the start of the outbreak, 243,695 positive tests for COVID-19 have been reported in the United Kingdom, the third most of any country. The Department of Health and Social Care on Sunday confirmed 3,534 new cases of COVID-19 over the preceding 24 hours, a slight rise from the 3,451 cases reported the day before.
