Sixteen Covid-19 cases linked to a Crawley pub

The 16 cases linked to The Downsman is a "small number", Crawley Borough Council said

Sixteen confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been linked to a pub in West Sussex.

Contact tracing of staff and customers at The Downsman in Crawley began after the outbreak was reported earlier this week, Crawley Borough Council said.

Anyone who was in the pub between 8 July and 18 July is being asked to self-isolate for 14 days from their last visit.

A testing site will remain in the town until Tuesday.

The Downsman has been temporarily closed since a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus and remains shut.

Council leader Peter Lamb said: "Symptoms take some time to come - about 10 days, sometimes two weeks - so even if you look perfectly fine you can still be contagious.

"We know this disease is incredibly infectious so one person can easily infect three and that's how we end up getting back to where we were at the end of March.

"An individual who worked there tested positive for coronavirus following which the track and trace system came into effect.

"They started tracking down the people who had been there using the numbers they provided and advised them [about] testing and that's how those cases were identified."

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A spokesman for the council added: "While this is a relatively small number and may not be the definite source of infection for all these cases, we are asking people to take action to ensure the virus does not spread further."

"If you have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed case, you will need to complete your 14-day isolation period even if you test negative."

West Sussex County Council Public Health and Public Health England say they are continuing to monitor the situation and will organise contact tracing for any further identified cases who may have visited the pub.

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