Coronavirus: Stone pubs voluntarily close after case spike

A sign reminds people to social distance near the Crown and Anchor pub

Four more pubs are set to voluntarily close following an outbreak of coronavirus cases in a town.

Sixteen people have tested positive after cases had been linked to the Crown and Anchor, Stone, between 16-18 July, Staffordshire County Council say.

Cases have been identified in Stone, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Moorlands.

Traders have urged people to continue shopping in the town, but stress safety is a "top priority".

The Crown and Anchor said on Facebook it will close

"Stone continues to be open for business with many proud of the safety measures put into place," traders said.

"We really do need your support, now more than ever."

The Swan in Stafford Street will now close, with The Red Lion in the high street and The Talbot Inn also closing.

The Lounge, also in the high street, had been due to re-open on Saturday, but will now keep its doors shut.

Police said they will visit pubs at the weekend to encourage social distancing.

On Wednesday, the public health department at the council asked people to get tested, prompting 650 people to get tested in two days.

The council said 130 tests have so far returned negative, but results were outstanding for more than 350.

Eleven of the cases have been linked to the pub and five from secondary transmissions.

Dr Richard Harling, the director of public health at the council, said on Thursday they were not advising businesses to close, but acknowledged it was the "responsible thing to do".

The Lounge had been due to re-open on Saturday, but this has been pushed back, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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A post on their Facebook page said: "After being closed for an extra four weeks we took the hard decision not to open this weekend due to all that's been happening in our lovely town.

"The safety of our customers and staff is more important."

The Borehole, also in the town, said it wanted to reassure patrons they are doing all it can "to make a safe environment for you to be in to spend your leisure time."

About 650 people have been tested for the virus in two days

Dr Harling said they can "expect some more positive cases", adding "The question is how many - whether it is just a handful or significantly more than that.

"In terms of restrictions, we're not considering any at the moment."