Health

As the Bank Holiday weekend approaches, Sefton Council is reminding local businesses and their customers of the importance of following the Government’s COVID-19 guidance.

For businesses in the hospitality sector such as pubs, bars and restaurants this means keeping a temporary record of their customers to assist the NHS Test and Trace should coronavirus cases develop. This is in addition to maintaining the distancing and cleaning measures required to help keep their clients safe.

For customers, this means following any of the measures in place for their protection and making sure they provide any Test and Trace information requested on arrival.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Pubs and bars should have in place a way of recording their customers’ contact details so that if there are cases of coronavirus associated with the premises, they can be traced, warned and instructed to isolate.

“These simple measures on arrival are for the protection of customers and staff but are also there to protect the hospitality sector and the wider economy by reducing the possibility of a wider COVID-19 outbreak and the potential need to introduce local restrictions, which would have a negative effect on everyone.

“Personally, if I arrived at a pub bar or restaurant that didn’t have tracing measures in place, I wouldn’t stay.”

Sarah Rodriguez from Southport BID said:“Business owners in Southport have worked incredibly hard since reopening to ensure their customers and staff are safe and have shown a great deal of respect for the social distancing guidelines as a community.

“We do back Sefton’s plea to ensure that we work together to ensure that these high standards continue across the busy Bank Holiday and beyond.  As a team, we are available for any support and resources to help you implement the measures are available on our website at southportbid.com .”

Sefton Council’s Environmental Health team has been working with businesses across the Borough to help them put in place the measures needed to keep employees and customers safe.

You can find the latest Government Guidance here

Information to help businesses of all types identify and manage coronavirus outbreaks, in the form of downloadable and printable Action Cards.  

Mobile coronavirus testing units are scheduled to be at locations across Sefton nearly very day in August.

If you have the COVID-19 symptoms of a high temperature, persistent cough or loss of taste or smell  – however mild – you should get a test.

Tests at mobile centres are available for anyone but they need to have made an appointment first at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus  or by calling 119.

Dates for the rest of August are:

Fri 21    Litherland
Sat 22   Litherland
Sun 23  Litherland
Mon 24 Southport TBC*
Tue 25   Southport TBC*
Wed 26 Crosby  TBC*
Thur 27 Crosby
Fri 28    Crosby
Sat 29    Southport
Sun 30  Southport
Mon 31 Southport

*One of the Mobile Testing Unit teams is a reserve team,  and may deployed to other Merseyside locations on these days.

Walk-through test centres, opposite Bootle Town Hall and at Southport Town Hall, are open from 8am to 8pm. You need an appointment from www.nhs.uk/coronavirus   or by calling 119 or the Council’s Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845.

Confirmation of August dates for the sites, which are supported by Sefton Council, NHS Southport and Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG, follows on from a timetable that saw units deployed across Sefton Borough every day in July.

Sefton Council’s Interim Director of Public Health Margaret Jones is reminding people across the Borough that while they must take precautions to avoid contracting and passing coronavirus, they also need to remember to take care at home.

Mrs Jones said she is reassured that coronavirus cases in Sefton are currently low but said that required vigilance by everyone is needed to maintain that situation.

She said: “With Government’s recent reduction of restrictions, there has been a lot of focus on staying safe while out and about and there is no question that being mindful and considerate, maintaining safe distances and wearing masks or face covering is vitally important.

“But it is also vital that people don’t forget the day-to-day basics when they are at home.

“COVID-19 is still very much with us can be anywhere including our own homes so the need to follow the guidance on socialising remains. People should restrict indoor meetings to members of just two different households and keep the numbers at outdoor gathering to a maximum of six people.

“And, if people do start showing the symptoms of coronavirus, which are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, it is essential for their own safety and the safety of their friends and loved ones around them that they get a test immediately. It’s easy to make an appointment via www.nhs.uk/coronavirus  or by calling 119.”

Mrs Jones went on to stress the importance of people responding if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace service and the need to self-isolate for 14 days if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

She added: “People don’t need to get tested unless they develop symptoms but if they get a negative test result after being identified through Test and Trace, they still need to self-isolate because the virus can take 14 days to incubate.

“And finally wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands and do it thoroughly.”

Check out the Government’s latest guidance.