Statements from St Helens Borough Council on the results of actions taken following a rise in cases in Eccleston Park.
Councillor Anthony Burns, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Libraries, Culture and Heritage, said: “We’d like to thank the residents and businesses of Eccleston Park who have done their bit to help us manage the current spread of Covid-19 in that area of the borough. We understand it might have been a worrying time for residents when we raised concerns around the sudden rise in cases in their area, but we saw huge numbers sign up to get tested at the local mobile testing unit.
“We can only reduce the risk of spread by working together with residents to track what happens in our communities, which is why we encouraged this small area of the borough to get tested to help us understand better what is happening there and manage the spread of the virus in that locality. The sooner we can identify potential spread and isolate cases the less likely we are to face broader restrictions which could impact on the wider community, not just on health but also businesses – which none of us one to see.”
Sue Forster, Director of Public Health at St Helens Borough Council, added: “Following our advice for residents living in Eccleston Park to take extra care and to get tested if they had been in contact with people from outside their household we saw many residents do just that.
“That surge in testing has helped us to get a clear picture of what is happening in that community following the spike in cases in the area. Thankfully, we have now not seen a continued rise in cases in that area which indicates that there hasn’t been further community transmission.
“However, it is vital that we all continue to be vigilant to the risks we face as we have seen that cases can rise quickly and transmission can happen easily if we do not follow the guidance which has been in place throughout this pandemic.
“Please remember to reduce the number of people you come into contact with to help contain any potential spread, wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds regularly, keep at least 2m apart from others not in your household as much as you can, and if that is not possible, please wear a face mask – particularly in enclosed spaces. We know this message has been said so many times, but we cannot let our guard down to this virus as one slip is all it could take to catch coronavirus.”
