A small team of around 20 people are gearing up to respond to complex coronavirus cases across Leeds and prevent the spread of the pandemic.
The national test and trace scheme was launched today, but local authorities - including Leeds City Council - will soon begin to manage certain flare-ups in the community.
This will include cases in care homes, schools and even prisons, where social distancing could prove more tricky and Covid-19 is likely to spread quicker.
Around 25,000 contact tracers have been employed by the government to take on the national cases, but the core team in Leeds currently totals fewer than 20 people.
Victoria Eaton, director of public health at the council, said: "As a city, we have an Infection, Prevention and Control Service. This is commissioned by the council, but provided by the NHS. It's a team of about 12 people at the moment.
Leeds test and trace team
12
members of the Infection, Prevention and Control Service team
4 or 5
members of the frontline public health protection team
Leeds City Council
"The other team that is part of it is the frontline public health protection team. At the moment that team has four of five people.
"They are the big building blocks of our expertise."
Both of these small units have been bolstered by temporary additions - but the council is already looking at doubling the size of both teams to take the total number closer to 40.
The test and trace scheme works by getting in touch with people who return a positive coronavirus test. Contact tracers will then call everyone the infected person has been in close proximity with in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19.
The burden of 'complex' coronavirus outbreaks, where infected people have been in contact with several people, will fall under the council's responsibility.
Ms Eaton said: "We are looking to sustainably increase the capacity of these teams so we can use the ways of working in care homes across to other settings, such as schools and prison."
Around 24 members of the council's environmental health officer team have also been redeployed to help with the pandemic, while the city's pool of 6,000 Covid-19 volunteers will also be called upon.
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Tom Riordan, the council's cheif executive, has spoken out about the "teething issues" faced by some people on the day the new programme launched.
Mr Riordan has been appointed by the government to roll out the project due to his expertise of working with local authorities.
