Mass testing scheme to be piloted in north – with all Liverpool residents offered free COVID tests
The armed forces will be stepping into the North West region from Friday (6 November) to deliver the programme - which will see more than half a million people given the opportunity to take a coronavirus test.
Liverpool has been selected to pilot a new mass testing programme – with everyone living and working in the city set to be offered a free COVID-19 test.
The armed forces will be stepping into the North West region from Friday (6 November) to deliver the scheme – which will see more than half a million people given the opportunity to take a coronavirus test.
The pilot has been set up to determine whether mass screening is feasible across the UK – a concept first outlined as part of Boris Johnson’s ‘Operation Moonshot’.
Back in September, the Prime Minister floated the notion of making tests so readily available that UK citizens could enjoy a ‘freedom pass‘ to interact with others.
Now, as England prepares for a second lockdown, the government is embarking on its mission to create a “powerful new weapon in [the] fight against COVID-19.”
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Number 10 / Flickr
All test subjects will receive a combination of swab tests – already in wide use across England – and lateral flow tests, which can use nose-and-mouth swabs or saliva and produce results in 15 minutes.
The aim of the pilot is to determine whether testing at such high speed and scale is viable and effective.
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If successful, mass testing will then be rolled out across the rest of the Liverpool city region and into other areas.
High risk regions with many cases, such as Greater Manchester, may be the next on the list to receive mass testing.
The opportunity to use voluntary “mass testing” in Liverpool can help us get out of Tier 3 when lockdown ends on 2nd Dec. 80% of people who are positive don’t know they have it, this will help us identify them. Let’s do this for our City, our NHS,our people and our economy.
The first batch of tests will be carried out in a mixture of settings – including new and existing test sites, as well as hospitals, care homes, schools, universities and workplaces.
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Anyone who tests positive will receive a text or email from NHS Track and Trace and will be asked to self-isolate.
This isolation period – currently 14 days – may also be reduced to 10 or seven days this week.
Discussing the pilot scheme, the PM stated: “These tests will help identify the many thousands of people in the city who don’t have symptoms but can still infect others without knowing.
“Dependent on their success in Liverpool, we will aim to distribute millions of these new rapid tests between now and Christmas and empower local communities to use them to drive down transmission in their areas.”
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Manc -
3rd November 2020 
