Outbreak control board to help in Covid-19 fight
KIRKLEES Council is to join other local authorities across the country in setting up a Local Outbreak Control Board for testing, contact tracing and local outbreak planning around Covid-19.
Government advice on the issue has coincided with a coronavirus outbreak in Kirklees at the Kober
Ltd meat factory, which supplies bacon to Asda.
Around 150 workers are understood to be affected.
Upper-tier councils across the country are busy establishing the boards. They have already been set up in Portsmouth and in Lincolnshire.
One councillor said the Kirklees board was “not set yet but we will probably have one.” They described it as “more a scrutiny or review board.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that Kirklees Counci’s chief executive, Jacqui Gedman, tabled a paper to members of the authority’s Public Health Emergency Advisory
Group (PHEAG) on Monday night.
The PHEAG is comprised of senior officers along with leaders of the five main groups on the council - Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Independents.
The Kirklees board is in the process of being set up and could be operational by the end of the month.
Members of the board have not yet been confirmed.
On its website the Local Government Association announced: “In June 2020 Local Government and Directors of Public Health (DPHs) have been identified as critical in managing the next phase of the Covid-19 pandemic: testing, contact tracing and outbreak management.
“All upper tier councils have been tasked by Government to:
Establish a member-led Local Outbreak Control Board
Establish a Director of Public Healthled Covid-19 Health Protection Board
Develop a Local Outbreak Control Plan
A Kirklees Council spokesperson confirmed: “All councils are now setting up Boards, which will look at how we manage that balance between public safety and public information in the future.
“The Board in Kirklees will take a close look at how we work with businesses, partners and communities to keep us all safe and informed.
“The Board will be set up in the coming weeks.”
Kirklees made national headlines last week when Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that the borough had suffered a Covid-19 outbreak.
Although he did not identify the location it was quickly identified as the Kober meat processing plant at Hunsworth near Cleckheaton.
The plant employs around 350 people. The number infected with the virus is understood to be anywhere between 60 and 150.
It is understood that workers were tested en-masse with many not showing symptoms of the virus.
An update on figures in expected later this week.