Wiltshire care homes, schools, and businesses: 4 key updates

As of 4pm on Monday March 15, 175 new infections were recorded in the last seven days, compared to 207 in the previous week.

This gives a rate of new cases of 35 per 100,000 - down from 41.4 last week.

England's average is 58.6.

Wiltshire's mortality rate (160.6) also remains below the national average of 219.

However, a total of 803 registered deaths that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate were recorded up to February 26 - that's an increase of 19 deaths compared to last week’s figures.

Schools

All schools in England reopened to all pupils on March 8.

Colleges and secondary schools were tasked with testing all children with lateral flow tests to identify positive cases of Covid-19 who are asymptomatic.

To date, only 10 schools including colleges, secondary and independent settings have identified positive cases through lateral flow testing.

One of these is The Stonehenge School in Amesbury where two children tested positive on Friday March 12.

As a result of the positive tests, the entire year bubble, totalling 192, was sent home to self-isolate as a precaution.

Kate Blackburn, the council's public health boss, said this was the only instance in which an entire year bubble was sent home.

"[Positive tests] resulted in some close contacts being identified but in most cases these are very low numbers, if any at all," she said.

Wiltshire's director for public health, Kate Blackburn

Care homes

The number of care homes reporting infections and the number of infections reported are continuing to fall, Mrs Blackburn said.

In the week ending on March 7, nine care homes recorded new cases, compared to 14 last week.

This is down from a peak of 59 in mid January.

However, deaths in care homes have increased slightly in the past week.

Six people have passed away with Covid-19 this week, compared to five deaths the week before.

Businesses

More than 400 lateral flow tests were completed last week across the four rapid testing sites set up in Wiltshire.

Those who can access them are people working for small businesses who cannot work from home, early years staff and university students.

The sites can be found at Monkton Park in Chippenham, Devizes Leisure Centre, Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury and County Hall in Trowbridge.

Businesses of all sizes, including those with fewer than 50 employees, can register to order lateral flow tests.

"Regular testing could be the difference between a workplace being able to stay open and operational or needing to close completely due to an outbreak so [testing] does form part of the Government's plan to gradually and safely ease restrictions," Mrs Blackburn said.

However, businesses can only register up to March 31.

The scheme will remain free until the end of June.

Businesses who decide to sign up for it are being asked to inform Wiltshire Council by using this form.

Test and trace

Mrs Blackburn said more than 96 per cent of cases are being successfully contacted traced either by the national Test and Trace system or by local contact tracers.

Contact tracers in Wiltshire only step in to contact individuals that the national system could not reach.

They do so via text messages, calls, emails and doorstep visits.

Members of the public are being asked to provide accurate contact details when going for a test and answer the phone if NHS Test and Trace tries to contact them.

Get more Salisbury news and nominate your local heroes for the South Wiltshire Hero Awards.

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.