The Downsman Pub, Crawley: 9–18 July Visitors Must Self-Isolate Immediately

Saturday, 25 July 2020 00:36

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Image: Alissa Eckert and Dan Higgins, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you were in The Downsman pub between 9 and 18 July (excluding the 16 July) please self-isolate for 14 days from the date of your last visit.

The instruction came today (July 24) from Public Health England along with Crawley Borough Council and Public Health West Sussex.

It followed notification (as reported on More Radio) of an outbreak at The Downsman Pub in Crawley earlier in the week.

Since the notification was made, Public Health England has been organising contact-tracing of staff and customers.

The public bodies today stated that there are 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus with a link to the pub.

They've called it a "relatively small number", and cannot certain that the pub is the definite source of infection for all these cases.

But the authorities' message tonight was: "take action to ensure the virus does not spread further".

PHE required that, if you were in The Downsman pub between 9 and 18 July (excluding the 16 July), you should self-isolate for 14 days from the date of your last visit.

PHE continued that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus should self-isolate and get tested.

Symptoms include a high temperature, new continuous cough and a loss or change in the senses of taste and smell.

If an individual develops symptoms. then the entire household's contacts will also be required to self-isolate.

More information on self-isolation is available on the NHS website.

If anyone has been identified as a close contact of a confirmed case, that person will still need to complete a 14-day isolation period even if any test comes back negative.

Free tests can be organised by visiting https://nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.

A testing site is based in Crawley until 28 July; there is also a testing centre at Gatwick Airport.

On Friday night, West Sussex County Council Public Health and Public Health England said they were continuing to monitor the situation and will organise contact tracing for any further identified cases who may have visited the pub.