People urged not to visit care homes in Newark
Nottinghamshire County Council has advised people to avoid visiting relatives in care homes in the Newark Town area to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
It comes as Newark was placed on a list of the areas of concern by the government following a steep rise in the number of cases of the virus.
As of 13 August, official figures show there were 61 cases in the area in the most recent two weeks.
Comparison on a like for like basis places Newark and Sherwood at 14th in ranking of confirmed new cases in England.
The councils director of adult social care, Melanie Brooks said the steep increase of cases is of a ‘serious’ concern’ so it is asking Newark residents for their support by ‘taking some simple steps to help prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Newark area’.
‘We know that some people are at significant risk if they were to contract COVID-19 and doing what we can to prevent people who live in care homes from infection is a key priority for us,’ she added.
‘Given the current situation we feel now is the time to take some additional steps to protect those residents who are the most susceptible. We therefore urge anyone who was planning to visit their relatives or friends in care homes in Newark this weekend (15/16 August) to avoid doing so until the situation has improved.
‘We appreciate the importance of visiting loved ones for the wellbeing of residents in care homes so this advice comes with a heavy heart, but we need to do all we can to prevent the spread of the virus.
‘Equally, we are asking anyone who lives in the Newark area to avoid visiting relatives or friends who live in care homes outside of the area to avoid the potential risk of bringing back the virus. We will continue to monitor the situation to review these steps.’
Photo Credit – TheDigitalArtist (Pixabay)
