Covid-19 Update

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Wednesday 30th December 2020 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

The ability of the Oxford vaccine to be easily transported makes a huge difference, because it means we can take it to care homes—we can take the vaccine to the people—rather than the other way round for those who are immobile. Of course, for people who find it easy to travel, it is much more efficient to do it the other way round, so we will have a combination of community roll-out where we take the vaccine to the people and vaccination hubs where people come to get vaccinated. It is all based, as per my previous answer, on optimising the speed of delivery of the vaccine. That is what will both save lives and get us out of the restrictions as fast as possible.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con) [V]]

We all want to ensure that classrooms remain open so that our children’s education continues with as little disruption as possible. We have seen the impact that armed forces personnel have had in Liverpool and Dover in helping to carry out mass testing. Will my right hon. Friend confirm whether plans will be put in place to utilise our armed forces to assist with regular testing in schools, colleges and universities?

[Matt Hancock]

The Education Secretary is about to make a statement to set out more details, but the armed forces have been brilliant in all sorts of parts of the response to the pandemic, one of which is supporting schools to get mass testing under way in an appropriate way, using the experience they have gained by helping us so much over this crisis.