By Council launches Covid-19 battle plan
This week North East Lincolnshire Council announced that their cabinet have launched a new plan to battle the threat of Covid-19.
A new Outbreak Control Plan, drawn up by the authority, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and partners in the wider local health and social care system, has now been put in place.
At present, North East Lincolnshire has the third lowest rate of cases in England.
The Council has been allocated £1 million to support Covid-19 outbreak management.
The North East Lincolnshire Outbreak Control Plan will set out how the Council will work with local partners and the NHS Test and Trace service to respond swiftly to contain and control any local outbreaks of the virus.
This should allow for a gradual return to normal life in a managed way that protects the community, the NHS and social care.
Council Leader Philip Jackson said:
“We and other partners can’t do this alone- we need to all our communities and residents to keep working work together, as they’ve already done so well so far.
“Until we get a vaccine for COVID-19, we’re all having to learn to live with the virus and supporting this plan gives us the best possible chance of living as normal lives as possible under the circumstances and preventing further outbreaks.
“As we continue to take the first, tentative steps back into normal life, it’s vital that everything is done to keep the virus out of communities, to prevent people becoming ill and to prevent more people from dying.
“We all want to see restrictions continue to be eased, but should infection rates rise again, we face exactly the opposite with tighter restrictions and a possible return to the lockdown nobody wants to see.
“That’s why I would continue to urge the overwhelming majority of people, who are acting in the very best interests of their own communities and caring about the safety of others, to continue to do the right thing over the coming weeks and months.”
He said that the Outbreak Control Plan and those of every council in the UK will all have a vital role to play in trying to prevent a potential second wave of Covid-19 later in the year.
Announcing the launch of the new Covid-19 battle plan, a Council spokesperson added:
“Because Covid-19 is a new virus and remains highly contagious, we need to remain cautious as we move out of lockdown.
“There are a number of risks that could see infections in our community increase again.
“For example, our low infection rates mean most local people have not been exposed to the virus already so the impact of indoor businesses reopening as well as increasing numbers of visitors from outside the area is not yet certain.
“The Council has a central role in the identification and management of any local outbreaks as they arise.
“The Outbreak Control Plan sets out measures such as potential temporary closure of individual locations to enable deep cleaning, rapid deployment of mobile testing units, and targeted communications in specific settings, communities or localities.”
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