Sandwell Council bosses 'confident' they have coronavirus under control
Council bosses in Sandwell say they are confident they have coronavirus outbreaks "under control", after the borough became a hotspot for cases.
It comes after a string of businesses have experienced outbreaks of Covid-19 in Sandwell over the past two months.
The borough has seen a surge in cases since July, with Smethwick and West Bromwich being particularly affected.
Latest rates of infection in the region:
Average number of new cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to August 14.
Figures show the rate for the seven days to August 14 followed by the equivalent figure for the previous seven days to August 7.
The number of brackets is the number of new cases confirmed in each area.
Data for the most recent three days (August 15-17) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.
Birmingham 31.5 (360), 18.2 (208)
Sandwell 25.3 (83), 22.2 (73)
Wolverhampton 17.1 (45), 11.4 (30)
Walsall 15.4 (44), 7.0 (20)
Telford and Wrekin 14.5 (26), 2.8 (5)
Dudley 4.0 (13), 5.3 (17)
Cannock Chase 3.0 (3), 4.0 (4)
Stafford 2.2 (3), 5.8 (8)
Councillor Maria Crompton, leader of Sandwell Council, said the local authority is working with firms to "contain" the spread of coronavirus.
"As far as I'm concerned, we are aware of everything," she told the Express & Star. "Things are being contained.
"Most [outbreaks] were in companies.We are working with companies to contain it where a number of people in companies are being tested.
"We have got to wait for results from tests to ensure if people are positive or negative."
More Covid-19 coverage:
Sandwell Council is set to receive a batch of results today outlining the latest picture of cases in the borough.
It was added to a Government watch list last month due to the spike in numbers.
Precautions
The council's public health department also launched its own test and trace system.
"I don't think it's dropping [the levels]," Councillor Crompton continued. "But I don't think it's gone massively up."
"We are confident we are doing everything - along with companies - to keep it under control."
She said residents in the borough must continue to follow safety precautions.
"This is not going away," she added.
"We still need to wear masks, keep social distancing and do everything the Government says."
Meat processing firm Tulip, in Tipton, had a number of cases in June while CBS Packaging, in West Bromwich, temporarily closed in July after more than a third of workers tested positive.
The latest businesses to see outbreaks are DPD, based in Oldbury, where 19 employees have tested positive, and Pargat Housewares, in West Bromwich, where eight cases have been confirmed.
An outbreak was also reported at Smethwick-based pub Soho Foundry Tavern this month.
Sandwell's Warley MP John Spellar said the number of cases in the borough are "concerning" but added: "I'm pleased, for example, in cooperation with the company, they [the council] seemed to have moved quickly with DPD to contain the outbreak.
"But everyone must continue to be careful."
