City Mayor Paul Dennett has reassured residents that Salford is prepared to cope as the city announces its first case of Coronavirus.

The person, who has recently tested positive for Coronavirus,  is now self-isolating and is recovering at home. Public Health England is contacting people who had close contact with the person to ensure they receive the correct medical advice and guidance to use if they become unwell.

Meanwhile Salford City Council is preparing to act if the government brings in stringent measures to delay the spread of the virus or if council services are affected.

City Mayor Dennett said: “Firstly my thoughts are with the person affected by Coronavirus and their family and friends. I know they will receive excellent care from the NHS and I wish them a speedy recovery.

“I can confirm that the executive head teacher of Lewis Street primary school has closed the school for a deep clean and will review the situation after that has taken place. In addition two schools Christchurch primary in Eccles and Larkhill primary school, which share teaching staff with Lewis St will also close for cleaning as a precaution.

“I want to reassure everyone that the council has well-established and well-tested plans to respond to any emergency, including outbreaks of illness such as COVID -19.

“At the moment it is business as usual but we have been monitoring this fast changing situation from the start and are ready to respond. We will put plans in action to maintain essential services. We are also closely linked in with other Greater Manchester councils and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

“We are working closely with and supporting our NHS partners who are managing the medical side of this situation and we have shared and continue to share all government and NHS information with the public, our schools, our partners including care homes and our employees about measures to tackle the virus.”

Director of Public Health, Muna Abel Aziz reiterated the need for good hand hygiene as a means to protect people.

“As this is a new disease, the guidance is changing daily as we learn more but the findings so far show that approximately 80-85% of people will experience a mild illness, if they catch it,” she said.

“In the meantime, good hygiene is the very best prevention to protect ourselves, our families and communities.  This includes washing hands regularly for a minimum of 20 seconds, and following NHS advice in relation to coughs and colds – catch the sneeze in a tissue, bin it…and kill the germs. Please dispose of tissues by double bagging them securely.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here