Council confirms 26 positive covid results from 500 tests
Twenty six people have tested positive for coronavirus in Welshpool over the past four days.
Nearly 500 people have been tested at a mobile coronavirus testing centre set up in Welshpool – with 26 positive results so far.
The centre was open without an appointment needed, unlike the majority of others.
Powys County Council said a number of the positive results had been at the Sidoli factory in the town, but that it was not seeing "widespread community transmission".
More Covid-19 coverage:
The centre, which has been based at Welshpool’s Neuadd Maldwyn, was co-ordinated by Powys Teaching Health Board, Powys County Council, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust after a number of cases were confirmed in the area.
Stuart Bourne, Director of Public Health for Powys Teaching Health Board, said: “We are very grateful to the team at CDT Sidoli Ltd, and to the people in Welshpool, for their quick and wholehearted response to this opportunity to be tested.
Important
“A rapid and co-ordinated response when new cases are identified helps us to contain the spread of coronavirus and to keep Powys safe.
“Based on our testing so far, we are not seeing evidence of widespread community transmission in the Welshpool area.”
Councillor James Evans, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services, said: “We are working with local companies to remind their staff of the importance of social distancing, regular hand washing and avoiding car sharing with people from other households. It is vitally important that everyone maintains these standards outside the workplace in social environments as well.”
Phil Cummings, managing director at CDT Sidoli, said: “We have been working closely with the local health board and county council to help keep our staff and local communities safe, including requesting our 250 staff to have voluntary tests despite the vast majority exhibiting no coronavirus symptoms.
“We already have strong systems and policies in place in our factory which were checked and approved by the Health and Safety Executive last week. The recent cases have provided an opportunity to review and strengthen these further and also to provide learning that can be shared with other workplaces in the county.
“With coronavirus still circulating across the UK, we all have a vital role to play to stop the spread.”
Contact tracers from the Test, Trace, Protect programme are tracing the contacts of people who test positive.
