Last night, it was confirmed that two people in West Sussex, as well as another man from Surrey, had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of known UK cases to 36.
Over the weekend, reports of new cases flooded in from all corners of the country, and the race is now on for health officials to trace anyone who may have come into contact with these people.
In a joint statement, Surrey and West Sussex County Councils confirmed that the new cases “are adults and not health workers”.
Ruth Hutchinson, Interim Director of Public Health for Surrey County Council, and Anna Raleigh, Director of Public Health for West Sussex County Council, said:
We are working closely together and with Public Health England and the NHS to make sure everything possible is being done to protect people in our respective counties and minimise the spread of the virus.
We’re receiving regular updates from colleagues at Public Health England who are already making good progress in contacting anyone who has been in close contact with the individuals to provide them with advice about what to do if they start to feel unwell, and how to manage if they are told to self-isolate.
We would like to reassure everyone that our county councils and health colleagues are well-prepared and doing all we can to minimise the chances of further cases.
Anyone who is not contacted directly by PHE should continue to go about their life as normal but take extra care to follow public health advice on simple steps we can all take to help reduce the risk of infection.
These new cases mark the next phase in the spread of the virus, as these are the first people who have been infected inside the UK.
Despite this, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has insisted that the UK is still in the “containment” phase of the outbreak.
He said the Government’s contingency plans, which will be published this week, included banning big events. School closures and moves to persuade people to work at home are also options being actively considered by the Government.
We encourage all our readers to follow the World Health Organisation’s guidelines to help prevent the spread of infection.Â
Featured image: © Joint Base Charleston.
