Published September 3, 2020 at 8:41
The council is aware of a recent small surge in coronavirus cases for Rossendale.
Our overall rate of positive cases has always been relatively low, so any increase will be monitored closely. This sudden increase is largely related to an outbreak at a local school premises and a small number of licensed premises in the borough.
An outbreak has been identified at a school premises in Whitworth which was being used last week by an out of hours provider and this is being dealt with by Lancashire County Council. Parents of all local children concerned have been notified and will be self-isolating and seeking a test.
We have also identified a small number of bars and restaurants across the borough who have reported staff and customers who have tested positive since the 28th August. In these instances, we have worked closely with the businesses to ensure they do everything possible to keep both staff and customers safe. The premises have voluntarily closed to carry out a deep clean and will be testing every member of staff. These premises will remain closed until the deep clean is undertaken and all staff have tested negative.
There are no anticipation that this small specific surge will mean the borough will need to return to the increased lockdown restrictions we recently experienced. We continue with our programme of advising businesses of their responsibilities to protect public health. We will monitor the situation closely and take this opportunity to re-emphasise the Government’s guidance on social distancing.