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Ricky Tomlinson is mourning the death of his brother.
The Royle family star revealed that his brother died after a battle with coronavirus while urging people to participate in a mass test pilot in Liverpool.
In a video message posted on the Liverpool City Council Twitter account, the actor said: “Covid is a killer. I know this too well, because one of my brothers just died from Covid-19.”
“Don’t let it happen to you, send your team out today and do what you are supposed to do. Save your life and the loved ones around you.”
Tomlinson, 81, said he had used a home test kit.
As part of the pilot plan, which began on November 6, anyone who lives or works in Liverpool can get tested for coronavirus, even if they have no symptoms.
Call The Midwife actor Stephen McGann also encouraged people to participate.
He said his brother Joe, who appears on the soap opera Hollyoaks, and his mother had been in for a test run.
In a video posted on Twitter, he said: “My own mother and my older brother Joe have already taken a test and will be back next week and have another …
“And I’m absolutely satisfied with that because this massive test driver puts Liverpool at the forefront of testing, at the forefront of the investigation.
“We are where we should be in public health, all united to figure out how to do this correctly to benefit everyone else.”
“I think it’s a brilliant plan. If you haven’t been there yet, consider going down.”
Thursday’s figures showed 144,548 Liverpool residents had been screened since the scheme began, with many using lateral flow tests that give results within an hour.
Some 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to the city to carry out the tests.
Speaking when he visited a test site in the city on Monday, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the plan was “going in the right direction” but that they would like more people to participate.
Initially, the pilot was planned to run for 10-14 days, but is now expected to last until the end of November.
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