Cases of coronavirus increase at Craven Arms caravan site
Shropshire Council and partners are continuing to with residents at a caravan site in Craven Arms, and the wider community, to contain a coronavirus outbreak at the site.
A caravan site in Craven Arms has 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus following testing amongst its residents.
Shropshire Council and its partners are continuing to work with residents at the site on Long Lane following the outbreak which was first confirmed on Friday.
To date, 41 people have been tested on the site and all contact tracing is being undertaken. The number of positive cases is expected to rise in the coming days, before infection control measures and social distancing start to take effect.
The outbreak is being linked to an outbreak in Welshpool and a recent local event.
All residents on the site have been asked to self-isolate with members of their households for 14 days following contact with a positive case.
Local test site set up
To help prevent further transmission into the wider community, a test site has been established in Craven Arms for local residents.
The test site at Craven Arms Business Park was set up on Saturday and will be open for the next two weeks every day from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Testing is by appointment only, and Craven Arms residents are being asked to book an appointment via NHS Test and Trace online or by ringing 119.
Community support
Shropshire Council says its Community Reassurance Team is working with residents and local businesses to offer support. The team have been arranging food and essential supplies for residents on the site, whilst residents self-isolate. The team have been working with partners including the police, NHS, Public Health England and businesses to engage with the public and provide reassurance and support to the community.
Over the weekend Community Reassurance Team officers have been out in the community delivering essential supplies and prescriptions to the residents on site and were joined by David Evans, a local Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, to offer support to residents and businesses in the town and distribute community posters to the wider community.
Councillor David Evans said: “Our priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our local residents. I’ve been in Craven Arms to talk to residents and businesses to answer any questions and reassure them that the risk to the general public is low.
“We continue to work closely with Shropshire Council’s partners including the NHS, Public Health England, our local police and other key agencies, to provide up to date advice and support to our local community, to help prevent further spread of coronavirus.
“I would like to thank members of the community for their own ongoing support and co-operation.
“We continue to rely on everyone at the site playing their part, and want to encourage the residents to continue to self-isolate and take all the necessary precautions. This is the only way we can help stop the spread of the virus.
“As we now have a test site in the town, if anyone is having symptoms, I would strongly encourage them to book an appointment either online or by calling 119. Anyone concerned can book an appointment.”
Advice
For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturdays from 9am-4pm and Sundays 9am-12pm) or visit our website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.
More information about coronavirus, testing, self-isolation, and social distancing is available from the UK Government website at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Update: A further two cases of coronavirus have today been confirmed at a travellers site in Craven Arms, bringing the total number of cases to twenty-three.
