Leeds is ‘as well-prepared as possible’ for the Coronavirus, according to council document published today, writes Richard Beecham.
At a meeting next week, Leeds City Council decision-makers are set to discuss the pandemic, officially known as COVID-19, which has so far infected more than 100,000 people and taken more than 3,000 lives worldwide.
It has been confirmed by Public Health England that a further two people from Leeds tested positive for Coronavirus, bringing the total for the city to five.
The document set to go before the council’s executive board members claimed that, while it feels the city is relatively well-placed to deal with Coronavirus, the situation was constantly changing.
It stated:
“At this stage, the council and the city are as well prepared as possible given the resources and the information available, with established regular updates for councillors, MPs, staff, partners and the public.
“There is extensive liaison with a range of national and regional colleagues and agencies to ensure that we have the latest information available to inform our plans.”
The document states the city’s director of public health has established a coordination group to oversee the response of local health and care services.
This group includes NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS trusts, primary care, adult and children’s social care providers.
It added: “The group provides co-ordination for the Leeds Health and Care system response, provides assurance to the director of public health and local health and care partners that the system is responding appropriately, assures that actions are taken across the health and care system to implement control measures and identifies pressures, impacts and risks to the health and care system.”
Such is the fast-moving nature of the issue, an updated report will be provided closer to the date of the meeting, containing more detail about the response and recovery plan. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 18.