Coronavirus: A thank you to the Craven Arms community
Shropshire Council, Public Health England (PHE) Midlands, West Mercia Police and other key partners have thanked the Craven Arms community for their support and understanding following a recent outbreak of COVID-19 at the Long Lane travellers’ site.
As of today (Saturday 8 August 2020), no additional positive cases have been identified in the wider Craven Arms community. There are now only two individuals at the Long Lane site who are having to self-isolate in line with the Government guidance after testing positive. They are expected to complete their period of self-isolation next week.
The majority of residents at Long Lane have now recovered and are free of infection, meaning they are able to leave the site.
We again want to reiterate that the risk of catching coronavirus in the Craven Arms community is low, and encourage everyone to play their part by continuing to follow the Government guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission.
Walk-in mobile testing units will be in place in Craven Arms this weekend to make it easier for local people to get tested quickly. Testing is available for anyone in the Craven Arms area, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms, without the need for an appointment.
The walk-in mobile testing units will be held today and on Sunday 9 August (10.30am – 3.30pm) at:
Shropshire Council highways depot, 16 Stokewood Road, Craven Arms Business Park, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 8NR
Lee Chapman, a local Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, and Chair of Shropshire’s Health and Wellbeing Board, added:
“This has been a challenging time for the Craven Arms community, but I would like to express my sincere gratitude for their continued co-operation.
“I have nothing but admiration for the way people have pulled together and done their bit to help us stop the spread of the virus. People have followed the measures put in place to keep everyone safe, and many have taken up the offer of testing.
“Testing has been in place since 25 July and we have had no confirmed cases in the wider community.
“Shropshire Council, along with Public Health England and our NHS partners, and the police, responded quickly to the outbreak at Long Lane and it has allowed us to understand transmission and control the spread of infection.”
David Evans, a local Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, said:
“This hasn’t been easy everyone at Craven Arms, and I would like to praise their efforts in helping us contain the spread of the virus.
“We want everyone to enjoy everything our wonderful town has to offer. Our Shropshire Hills are part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and everyone who visits our community will be guaranteed a warm welcome. We still need people to do their part – it’s important to wash your hands, maintain social distancing and to wear a face covering to help protect others.”
For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit our website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.
