One again in March, drive-through Mobile Testing Units will be available across the Borough. These sites are for those with symptoms â a new persistent cough, a high temperature or a loss of sense of taste or smell â and can be booked by calling 119 or visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
Planned dates and sites may be subject to change if testing is required in other locations:
Remaining dates and locations for March 2021Â Â
Wednesday 24 March â Ainsdale
Thursday 25 March â NO MOBILE TESTING
Friday 26 March – Litherland
Saturday 27 March â Southport
Sunday 28 March â Southport
Monday 29 March â Ainsdale
Tuesday 30 March â Ainsdale
Wednesday 31 March – Ainsdale
Walk-through test centres
In addition, local walk-through test centres are open every day from 8am to 8pm, providing easy access to COVID-19 tests for people who do not have access to a car and for those who have symptoms and should not travel by public transport.
The four local test centres are located at:
Bootle Town Hall, L20 7AA
Crosby Library Car Park, Haigh Road, L22 OLQ
Netherton Activity Centre, Glovers Land, L30 3TL
Southport Town Hall, PR8 1DA
Those with symptoms seeking tests, need to book ahead of going to either the walk-through or drive-through sites. Itâs quick and easy to book by calling 119 or going online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
Self-isolation
Should any Sefton resident be required to self-isolate, this means that they must not leave home. Support and advice for anyone who must self-isolate is available here on the Councilâs website, including information on financial support.
SMART testing
Only key workers and those with caring commitments during the lockdown should now go for a SMART test if they have no COVID-19 symptoms.
Following reports over the weekend of visitors travelling substantial distances to the Sefton coast, the Council is urging people to continue to follow national lockdown restrictions.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: âSeftonâs coastline is stunning and thankfully itâs not going anywhere. It will still be here ready to welcome people back when it is safe to do so – but now is still not that time.
âThe weather is picking up as spring arrives, but thatâs no excuse for people to disregard the national restrictions that continue to be in place in order to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to save lives.
âIt was incredibly disappointing to see people travelling from far and wide to the coast over the weekend. We are urging both residents and those considering a visit to our Borough to stay at home and follow the guidelines.
âWe understand that people are looking ahead to the easing of lockdown measures, but weâre not quite there just yet, and if people donât continue to follow the restrictions it could mean that infection rates rise again in our communities.
âOur beach car parks remain closed and stringent parking restrictions are in place as we address parking concerns locally, with our enforcement officers working in conjunction with colleagues from Merseyside Police.
âAt this time, we need people to continue to think about their safety and the safety of others, as well as the wellbeing of our communities and the staff from not just the Council but all agencies working hard to keep everyone safe.
âThe Council continues to work closely with the partners of the Sefton Coastal Landscape Partnership (including Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, British Transport Police, National Trust Formby, Natural England, the RNLI and others) to keep Seftonâs beautiful coastline safe for visitors and residents alike.â
Residents urged to continue to follow lockdown rules prior to schools opening 24/02/2021
Residents in Sefton are strongly urged to continue stay at home to help reduce COVID-19 infection rates even further prior to schools opening. All schools and colleges will open on 8th March in the first stage of the Governmentâs roadmap out of lockdown, however infection rates are still high in  Sefton and local hospitals continue to be under pressure.
Margaret Jones, Director of Public Health for Sefton, said:
âOver the next two weeks, itâs really important that residents abide by the current lockdown rules and play their part in reducing infection rates. Although schools and colleges are as safe as they can be, there is the potential that high rates in the community could mean a rise in COVID rates in school/college settings. By starting at a low number of infections on 8th March, we can reduce the risk of rates going up rapidly, as we have seen following previous lockdowns. It is vital that we do everything we can to help our children and young people continue with their education uninterrupted. With lower rates, we can also look forward to the gradual easing of restrictions over the coming months as set out in the Governmentâs roadmap.â
Under current lockdown rules, people should continue to stay at home and only leave the house for essential reasons such as work, education, shopping and medical appointments. A full list of what is permitted is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
A combination of the vaccine rollout and testing will help control the virus. The vaccine programme is running well with good uptake among priority groups and those who cannot work from home can access regular testing even if they do not have symptoms. Details on asymptomatic testing centres can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/covid-19-in-sefton
If residents experience symptoms of COVID (fever, new continuous cough or loss/change of taste or smell or other symptoms that may be related to COVID) they can obtain a test by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119. If the test is positive, residents must follow the guidance including self-isolating immediately. More information on self-isolating can be found at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19
For those who need support during this difficult time please visit www.kindtoyourmind.org which has details of 24/7 crisis helplines and resources to help mental wellbeing.
Doorstep surge testing in Cambridge and Dukes wards to pause, testing to continue at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre
The surge testing operation across the Cambridge and Dukes wards of Southport will continue this weekend at the dedicated Mobile Testing Unit at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, with doorstep testing to be paused.
Thousands of kits have been delivered to homes across the two ward areas, by Council and partner agency teams alongside volunteers, with door-to-door testing now stopping while Sefton Council awaits further direction from the DHSC.
Anyone aged over 16 living or working in the Cambridge and Dukes wards, particularly if they cannot work from home under the current restrictions, are being urged to continue to use the testing site at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre over the weekend â open 8am to 6.30pm.
Executive Director at Sefton Council, Andrea Watts, said: âWeâve seen incredible support from our residents over the past few weeks as weâve targeted testing for the South African variant across three ward areas in Southport. Thank you once again for your continued efforts, and I know weâll see people supporting us again this weekend by getting tested at the dedicated mobile unit on the Promenade.
âTo everyone that has supported us and taken up a doorstep test, youâve played a vital role in our work to help reduce the spread of this disease and to enable scientists to learn more about it. Itâs been fantastic to see such a supportive response from our communities, likewise with the dedication of our teams on the ground visiting doorsteps come rain, snow or shine!â
To help stop the spread of the virus and its variants, aside from getting a test, residents should be staying at home as much as possible and only be going out for essential purposes; such as shopping for essential supplies, going to work if they canât do so from home, providing care and daily exercise.
Andrea added: âThere are no additional restrictions in place for those areas where surge testing is still being carried out, but we do encourage residents of those areas to take extra care and try to limit their time away from home.
âEveryone should remember of course that wearing a mask when itâs required, washing their hands regularly and maintaining social distancing are the best ways to stay safe and reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread.â
Sefton Youth Worker Sue Logie speaks about the importance of LBGT+ History Month
Sue Logie and Sefton’s Chief Exec, Dwayne Johnson, attending Pride in Liverpool
LGBT+ History Month is an annual celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender history, which raises awareness of prejudice against the LGBT+ community while celebrating its achievements and diversity. During the month weâve been celebrating some amazing people who form part of the LGBT+ communityâs past and present.
We caught up with one of Sefton Councilâs youth workers Sue Logie. She is the lead worker for New Beginnings, Seftonâs LGBT+ youth group, which provides a safe space for young people to socialise and share experiences. Sue was also winner in the prestigious LCR Pride Awards 2019.
We asked Sue about her experiences as she continues to support young LGBT+ people and why LGBT+ History Month is important to her.
âSo, another year passes, and we are bang into February 2021 with no warning, I sit wondering where has the year gone, it cannot be time to run LGBT+ History Month again, however it is here, itâs back and itâs time to educate again as February marks LGBT+ History Month.
 Iâm a believer in educating, in all areas of life, some of the ethos of youth work is the fact that we are informal educators. We work with young people in an environment that is not a traditional education setting. We provide insight and guidance, fact and figures and sometimes, we just tell it how it is, we are ârealâ. Young people are developing into adults, and while the internet is great, the things they research is not always the correct information â in we step to give advice from Sexual Health to Exploitation.
 LGBT History month is an important time for me, so many people are not aware of the LGBT Community who have made so much difference to peoples lives. We all get to learn about Henry 8th, World Wars and now children and young people in years to come will learn about the effect COVID had as this is for sure a historic event. Young people who are questioning their identity or knowing that they are part of the community or even adults need visible LGBT+ people and even LGBT+ Allies, to know that itâs ok, to see that amazing people have achieved and done amazing things, and being LGBT+ or indeed an LGBT+ Ally doesnât make a difference to their achievements, this also extends across all of the minority groups.
 Alan Turing: most people will now know his name, his story has been made into a film with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead role of Alan. He was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing played a crucial role in cracking intercepted coded messages that enabled the Allies to defeat the Nazis in many crucial engagements, including the Battle of the Atlantic, and in so doing helped win the war. Alan was also a gay man in a time when it was illegal, he was arrested and charged, he was given Gay Cure Therapy, he died, an inquest says Alan committed suicide. Despite these accomplishments, he was never fully recognised in his home country during his lifetime due to the prevalence of homophobia at the time and because much of his work was covered by the Official Secrets Act.
 So now I ask was Alan Turing and his work pivotal and should I have learnt about him in school â absolutely YES! Does the fact he was gay have an impact? In my opinion Absolutely YES. Just because of who he wanted to fall in love with does not change that fact he was amazing at what he did, Alan being gay didnât impact on the fact he helped us win the war! In 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for “the appalling way he was treated”. Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous pardon in 2013. The “Alan Turing law” is now an informal term for a 2017 law in the United Kingdom that retroactively pardoned men cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts
 Alan Turing is just one of many LGBT+ People who have shaped history and have been persecuted, Martha P Johnson a prominent figure in the Stonewall riots, Mark Ashton who co-founded LGSM supporting mining communities during the strikes, without them, their activism and for some of them the suffering the took,  would LGBT+ people have the rights they do now and letâs remember that is not world wide â probably not. The fight is not over, and we are also lucky that we have so many LGBT+ Allies who fight for the community something we must not forget either, so itâs important to also celebrate our allies people like Maya Angelou.
LGBT+ people have been around for 1000s of years, itâs not a new thing, it is also very much not a choice. Therefore, our LGBT history is just as important be celebrated and learnt like every other bit of history.
And just like Coronavirus will be a piece of History, LGBT+ people will continue to be part of history while we are still fighting for rights and amazing people create, do or become standout representatives while being proud of who they are.
Working alongside âThe Proud Trustâ and other organisations like âLGBT History Monthâ, who together put amazing resources out for us to use to educate, Iâm proud that I do this, we as youth team do this and as a Local Authority we do this, to do our bit to educate not just young people in Sefton, but the people of Sefton and beyond, even with the negative comments we receive.
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Residents in Sefton are strongly urged to continue stay at home to help reduce COVID-19 infection rates even further prior to schools opening. All schools and colleges will open on 8th March in the first stage of the Governmentâs roadmap out of lockdown, however infection rates are still high in  Sefton and local hospitals continue to be under pressure.
