Councillor asks if COVID-19 outbreak at Kirklees factory involves Calderdale staff

Members of Calderdale Council’s Adults, Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board were discussing a number of items relating to how the council is developing responses to the pandemic when a councilor raised the issue.

Coun Megan Swift (Lab, Town) said it had been reported that there was an outbreak of the coronavirus in Kirklees.

She said as far as she knew there was an outbreak of COVID-19 in Kirklees in which she understood some of the staff involved were from Calderdale.

Coun Swift asked if officers could update councillors on the situation.

Public Health Consultant Caron Walker said Calderdale Council had been informed about an incident in Kirklees.

“We have been notified of an outbreak and currently Kirklees Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and Public Health England are dealing with that at the moment and they will inform us when there is any outcome that affects Calderdale,” she said.

At this evening’s (Thurs) national briefing Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there is currently a localised outbreak of coronavirus in Kirklees.

Kirklees Council have confirmed it is at a workplace.

Director of Public Health at Kirklees Council, Rachel Spencer-Henshall, has said that council was made aware of a number of positive cases of COVID-19 at a workplace in Kirklees.

“We have been providing support and advice to both the management and employees in order to minimise any further transmission.

“Working together on this case with Public Health England, the business and its staff has helped to prevent further infection and has possibly saved lives.

“I’d like to reassure everyone that as soon as we became aware of this issue, we acted quickly to work with the business and their staff to limit any further potential spread of COVID-19,” she said.