Coronavirus: Council plan

2 GP surgeries closed and a number of schools.

Two cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the county – a pupil and family member at Churston Ferrers Grammar School – while two Torquay GP surgeries have been closed until ‘at least’ March 16 following advice from Public Health England.

Public Health England, Torbay Council, Devon County Council and local NHS colleagues are working closely together to respond and the individuals are getting all necessary support from relevant agencies.

Caroline Diamond, Director of Public Health at Torbay Council, said that they have tried and tested plans in place which means they are prepared to deal with a whole range of issues.

She added: “While the confirmation of a case in the county will undoubtedly increase people’s anxiety, it’s important to remain calm but vigilant and take necessary steps.

“The best action we can all take is to ensure we continue to have good personal and hand hygiene, which includes: Giving your hands a good wash with soap and water is the most effective action you can take (but hand gels can be a good substitute).

“Maintaining personal hygiene when coughing or sneezing is also important – use a tissue rather your hands and then throw it away. It is good general practice to use cleaning wipes to give your keyboard, desk, phone etc. the once over on a regular basis.”

A spokesman for Devon County Council that they were ‘well prepared to respond to the coronavirus’.

They added: “We have contingency plans in place to ensure that vital front line services are able to continue, and that the most vulnerable residents are kept well and safe.

“We are advising our staff to take the necessary hygienic precautions in line with PHE advice, providing extensive information and links to national guidance, both on our external and internal websites.

“We’re also in daily contact with colleagues across the NHS, Public Health, Police and other public services to ensure continuity of messaging, approach and response.”

Janet Williams – Environmental Health and Community Safety Manager for Torridge District Council, added: “We are very much taking the Governments lead on this and liaising closely with Government Departments and Health Officials. Managers are also reviewing their business continuity plans to ensure that essential services are maintained in the event of a worst case disruption from a pandemic.

“We are also encouraging businesses to consider their own contingency plans and for the public to keep updated on the latest information and advice available through the .gov website and follow such advice as washing their hands thoroughly and on a regular basis. Best practice ideas are also being shared among the regional Councils.”

A spokesman for Teignbridge District Council added: ““Our role is to support the efforts of Public Health England and the NHS and we are working with colleagues as part of Devon wide multi-agency planning to ensure they have the back-up needed.

“There is no reason at present to close leisure centres but this will obviously be kept under review in the light of government and PHE guidance.

“We continue to review our Business Continuity Plans to ensure we can continue to deliver services to the people of Teignbridge.  Within the council, an incident management team is meeting frequently to review the latest information and to identify and organise appropriate action.

“The latest information can be found via DCC’s website at https://www.devonnewscentre.info/coronavirus-advice-from-public-health-england ”

As of March 3, a total of 13,911 people have been tested in the UK, of which 13,860 were confirmed negative. 51 were confirmed as positive, two of which are in Devon.