CHESHIRE East Council is urging all its councillors to take a Covid-19 test before attending any committee meeting.

The council has started posting reminders on the top of committee agendas spelling out the importance of taking lateral flow tests before attending meetings in person.

It comes shortly after several councillors were forced to self-isolate when one tested positive after a meeting of the adults and health committee.

Conservative group leader Cllr Janet Clowes, who has been self-isolating for several days, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "In light of rising infection rates, taking a lateral flow test in advance of meetings is a sensible precaution to secure the wellbeing of councillors and, of course, their families while ensuring, as far as possible, a smooth continuance of council business.

"Clearly, due to a member testing positive at the adults and health committee, this had a knock-on effect for the attendance at the economy and growth committee because so many were having to self-isolate."

Macclesfield councillor Laura Jeuda said: "I'm really pleased they have done this because I went to my first face-to-face meeting and we then were informed the next day that someone had tested positive and we had to go for a PCR test.

"This will help people to remember to take the test before they go. I think it's a splendid idea."

Last week nearly half of the council's economy and growth committee had to be substituted for Thursday's meeting because seven of the 15 members were self-isolating.

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Today's (Monday) health and wellbeing board meeting is being held virtually as an informal discussion, instead of taking place at Sandbach Town Hall.

The session will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams, but any decisions required being carried forward to the next meeting of the board.

The board is unable to make any decisions at a virtual meeting because of changes in the rules regarding online meetings.

A council spokesperson said: "Cheshire East Council, in common with many other councils across the country, is continuing to seek a sensible and safe way through the challenges brought by rapidly increasing infection rates and the requirement for all public decision-making meetings to be held physically.

"Current legislation prevents councils holding formal decision-making meetings remotely. The legislation that allowed remote council meetings during much of the coronavirus pandemic expired in May 2021.

"Arrangements for each meeting in the council's calendar of meetings are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis to minimise risks to councillors, officers and visiting public, while ensuring that important decisions are taken in a timely manner.

"This includes reviewing and updating risk assessments, deferring decisions and postponing or cancelling meetings, with the agreement of committee chairs and vice chairs, where this is possible."

Infection rates in Cheshire East have soared over the past month, although there has been a fall in the numbers testing positive for Covid on individual days over the last week.

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Yesterday (Sunday) 167 people tested positive for the virus in the borough, with the 1,439 over the last seven days being a 23 per cent drop on the previous week.

The most recent seven-day rolling rate of infection in the borough was 489.9 per 100,000 population on July 20.