Improvement Notice served on Wrexham pub in wake of coronavirus “cluster” after ‘lack of adherence to the guidelines in staff areas’

Following the identification of a small number of cases associated with the staff of the North and South Wales Bank pub in Wrexham town centre, an Improvement Notice has been served on the premises by Wrexham Council’s Public Protection Department.

The Welsh Government recently strengthened the powers local authorities have to enforce the coronavirus regulations.

This enables enforcement officers to issue a Premises Improvement Notice to highlight breaches and specify measures that need be taken on premises to comply with the law, or even close a premises.

Where notices are issued signs will be displayed in a prominent place, much like food hygiene ratings should be, to self-highlight to people that improvement is needed or that a premises has had to close. The aim being to inform the public who is not complying as much as the should be with the new guidance for the benefit of the health of the wider community.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said: “While social distancing measures were in place and generally maintained when staff were dealing with customers, our investigation has shown that there was a lack of adherence to the guidelines in staff areas.

“In order to protect the public we served this notice. Every establishment must follow the rules to help keep Wrexham safe.”

In addition, Public Health Wales is reiterating its call for customers of the North and South Wales Bank pub in Wrexham to be vigilant for symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr Graham Brown, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said: “While the positive cases that have been identified in this incident have been among the staff, and staff-customer interaction appears to have mostly followed social distancing requirements, there is still a small risk that customers could be affected.

“Immediate contacts of those who have tested positive have been identified and contacted. Anyone who was in the pub between 9-20 August 2020 and develops even mild symptoms should immediately self-isolate and get a test.

“Getting a coronavirus test is free and simple to do, either by visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling the free number 119.

“A test can be done at home with a free kit, or by visiting a local testing centre.

“The identification of these cases is evidence that the Test, Trace, Protect strategy is working, and no outbreak has been declared.

“As we move through the recovery phase of the Coronavirus pandemic, we expect to see clusters in different settings. We manage any clusters of Coronavirus appropriately, including by providing advice around infection prevention and control, and by supporting contact tracing where required.

“We remind the public and business owners that Coronavirus is still circulating in the community. We all have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus by sticking to social distancing guidelines – that’s staying two metres away from others, and washing hands regularly.”

This is the second “Improvement Notice” served by Wrexham Council with Chequers previously being given one.