Coronavirus: Officials in Rother outline plans and issue advice

As of 9am on March 11, 456 people in the UK had tested positive for the virus.

There have not yet been any confirmed cases in East Sussex (excluding Brighton and Hove), but the East Sussex NHS Trust said it is ‘well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases.

All areas of Conquest Hospital, and community services, are open and operating as usual, according to a spokesman for the trust.

The spokesman added: “We are following national guidelines in terms of our response to coronavirus.

“The Government is taking a four-phased approach to tackling the virus: to ‘contain, delay, mitigate, and research’. This approach is the result of continuous consultation with the Chief Medical Officer for England.

“The approach is to try to contain this virus, however the more we can delay the peak of the spread to the summer, the better the NHS will be able to manage. Everything to combat this outbreak based on the very latest and best scientific and medical advice.”

The trust urged members of the public – who suspect they have coronavirus, or have been to an affected country, or have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus – should not visit the hospital, their GP or pharmacy. Instead they should phone NHS 111, or use their online service.

The spokesman added: “Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to: always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel; wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

“You can find the latest information and advice from Public Health England at www.gov.uk/coronavirus”

Hastings Borough Council said its most recent bulletin to staff flagged up the value of home working as a way to help the council continue delivering critical services for the community during an escalation of the coronavirus situation.

A spokesman for the council said: “We will authorise staff to work from home more if the need arises. For example, if a member of staff: needs to self-isolate due to contact with a confirmed case but is still fit to work; has common cold symptoms that might be COV-19 but is still fit to work; is struggling to come into the office because they need to be at home to look after dependents, such as young children if a school is temporarily closed.

“We have very well developed IT systems. This means that the public can access most of our services online, rather than visiting our offices. It also means that it is far easier for staff to work from home, with full access to all of the software applications they use in the office.

“Homeworking is already a routine feature of service delivery for many council staff. This has enabled us to significantly reduce the amount of office space we need, resulting in significant savings over the last few years.”

Rother District Council said it has not advised staff to work from home at this stage but it is keeping the situation ‘under review’.

East Sussex County Council has not yet advised staff to work from home.

Darrell Gale, East Sussex director of public health said: “We’re in constant contact with the Government and Public Health England, and are working together to follow their national guidance.

“We are directing schools to Government guidance that anyone who has returned from areas where cases of the virus have been confirmed, and has developed a cough, fever or shortness of breath, should stay at home, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111.

“We’ve made sure specific guidance for care staff is widely shared among our colleagues and we’re keeping our own staffing arrangements under review as the situation develops.

“We’d encourage people to check the latest NHS guidance at nhs.uk/coronavirus.”

At Hastings Direct, the situation is similar. A spokesman said: “As things stand at present, we have not advised or instructed colleagues to work from home more frequently or for longer periods than they do currently. We continue to focus on staying safe, working together in the usual way, and serving our customers.

“As you would expect we have comprehensive plans in place, in line with advice from Public Health England, and we are monitoring the situation closely so we can continue to keep our colleagues safe and respond to any rise in the threat level.”