300 people in Sunderland given Covid-19 test after drinker who visited city bars is diagnosed with coronavirus

Sunderland City Council’s health bosses say around 70 people are checked each day, but that number shot up last weekend in the wake of the alert, which led to bosses at The Golden Fleece and The Cavalier in Silksworth and Ryhope Cricket Club to close their doors.

The infection rate has risen in the city according to figures which covered the week leading up to Monday, August 3, but it is not thought the increase has been caused by the visit by the person who attended The Golden Fleece and the club on Friday, July 31, and later tested positive for Covid-19.

The venues carried out a deep clean before reopening to drinkers.

The council believes the rise tests could be due to more people coming forward for a swab, with the publicity surrounding the concerns at the pubs helping more young people seek a check than has been usual.

Kath Bailey, a public health specialist with the council, said: “Whereas generally, we see around 70 tests a day when the mobile testing unit is based at Azure Court in Doxford International Business Park, we saw around 100 tests carried out on Saturday and over 200 on Sunday.

"Many of those tested were younger people.

"When testing capacity goes up, it’s inevitable that more positive cases will be found, although none of the positive cases have so far been linked to the pubs.

“While the number of confirmed cases remains low, Covid-19 is still very much with us and it is essential that we all continue to play our part in containing the virus and preventing its spread to others.”

Related article: Three new coronavirus cases in Sunderland as North East total jumps sharply for third day

She added anyone who is going out to socialise should stick to social distancing rules and support the track and trace programme.

Anyone with symptoms should isolate immediately and book a test through www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.

Those who test positive or have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, must also self-isolate.

For more information, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.