Category: News

Key messages

• To stop the spread of the virus remember Hands. Face. Space: wash your hands regularly, use a face covering when social distancing is not possible and try to keep your distance from those not in your household.
• There is now very high demand for coronavirus tests and it is vital we test people with symptoms to help stop the spread of the virus.

If you have covid symptoms, you must get a test.

If you don’t have symptoms, don’t get a test.

We all need to play our part to protect the NHS Test and Trace service for those who really need it.

• A recent survey at testing sites found a quarter of people turning up did not have symptoms. If you don’t have coronavirus symptoms, and have not been advised to take a test by a doctor or a public health professional or by your local council, you should not be booking a test. Healthcare professionals will be checking those for symptoms at testing sites.
• If you have any coronavirus symptoms you must isolate immediately for 10 days (don’t wait for a test or a test result before doing so)
• If you are identified as a contact of a positive case you must isolate for the full 14 days (even if for some reason you got a negative test during that period)

You should NOT get tested:

If you have returned from abroad or are about to travel, you are returning to the workplace, you have been in contact with a confirmed case or if another member of your household has symptoms. You may be advised to isolate if you have been in contact with a confirmed but you should only get a test if you have symptoms.

By following these simple rules, we can ensure people who need a test can get one.

When to get a test or not:

• Only get a test if you have coronavirus symptoms or have been asked to get tested a doctor or a public health professional or by your local council. The main symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.
• Do not use this service to get a test in order to travel to another country. We do not provide certificates for travel purposes. You can pay for a private test.
• If your employer, school, or travel company has asked for evidence of a negative coronavirus test result, we are unable to provide this service. You should only get tested if you have symptoms.
• If someone in your household starts to have symptoms, then they must get tested and the rest of your household should self-isolate with them whilst they wait for the results. If you or other members of the household don’t have symptoms, then you should not get a test – only people with symptoms should get tested. Most people who are tested in person get their results the next day. Full guidance on self-isolation is available on gov.uk.
• If you have been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus you should not get tested unless you have coronavirus symptoms. A negative test result does not change the period of time that you will be required to self-isolate.
• If you have been abroad and are quarantining, you should not get tested unless you have coronavirus symptoms. A negative test result does not change the period of time that you will be required to quarantine.
• Do not stockpile tests. If you develop symptoms in future you will be able to book a test. There is no need to order a test in case of future use.
• If you have symptoms and need to book a test, you can do this online or by ringing 119. Do not call 111 which is an urgent care service and cannot help with tests.

For organisations and employers:

• Schools: please follow the official guidance on testing. It is very important that this guidance is followed. Schools should not advise pupils or teachers to take a test unless they exhibit one or more of the listed symptoms. If there is a confirmed case then schools should not advise entire classes or year groups to get tested. Only those with symptoms or those advised by their clinician or Local Authority should get a test. Schools must not require students without symptoms to provide evidence of a negative test before letting them back to school.
• Employers: you should not be asking members of staff to get tested before they come into the workplace. You can also help by communicating the guidance around testing to your staff.
• Travel companies: you should not be directing clients to NHS Test and Trace to get a test for anything related to overseas travel.

Dear residents and partners,

So far in West Sussex we have had a relatively low number of cases of Coronavirus. That is mainly thanks to you for continuing to follow the government guidelines on regular handwashing, wearing face coverings, social distancing and getting tested.

However we have seen an increase in recent weeks in the number of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus.

We have to continue to do all we can to keep the numbers as low as possible. It means taking preventative action to stop the spread of the virus including regular handwashing, practising social distancing, wearing a face mask when appropriate and getting tested when you have symptoms.

Our website has the latest guidance and information on how to prevent the spread of the disease and what we will do in the event of an outbreak in West Sussex. We really hope we won’t have to implement these plans, but we are ready to act if we need to.

We’ll continue to monitor all our cases in West Sussex and publicise key messages about how people can help us to control the virus. The Keep West Sussex Safe information campaign is running across the county with a particular focus where there are areas of concern.

As restrictions continue to relax and guidance changes, it is inevitable that there are questions about what you can and can’t do, especially when it comes to gatherings and spending time with people outside of your household.

We have heard this week that social gatherings of more than six people will not be allowed in England from Monday 14 September. This will apply in any setting, indoors or outdoors. This single measure replaces both the existing ban on gatherings of more than 30 and the current guidance on allowing 2 households to meet indoors. There will be some limited exemptions. For example, if a single household or support bubble is larger than 6, they can still meet up.

Please continue to follow these guidelines. We appreciate how hard it has been not to see friends and family in the way we are used to, but there are ways to be in touch and stay safe at the same time. We are very grateful to all residents for their continued efforts to ensure the county remains safe. We have done so well to control the spread of COVID-19 in West Sussex up until now. Please help us to keep it that way.

Let’s avoid a local lockdown and keep West Sussex safe.

Mid Sussex leisure centres will reopen on Tuesday 1 September.

A special Council meeting took place on Wednesday 19 August to formally approve the new operating arrangements to ensure the leisure centres could re-open as soon as possible.

The decision to open the Kings leisure centre in East Grinstead, The Dolphin leisure centre in Haywards Heath and The Triangle leisure centre in Burgess Hill follows months of negotiations with Places Leisure, who operate the centres on behalf of the Council.

Since they were asked to close the leisure centres in March, Places Leisure have worked closely with Public Health England and the trade body ukactive to ensure the centres are able to reopen safely in line with government guidance. Councillors agreed that the Council would support reopening costs which are forecast as being potentially £2.5m in the year to April 2021.

As customers return to the leisure centres, they will notice lots of new measures in place to keep them, and leisure centre staff, safe. Signage will be in place to help people follow social distancing, there will be hand sanitising and cleaning stations, the number of people taking part in each activity will be reduced and cleaning regimes will be greatly enhanced.

Customers will be asked to book all activities in advance via the Places Locker app or the Places Leisure website. There will be a 15-30 minute changeover period between each session to allow customers time to exit their activity safely and Places Leisure staff to clean the facilities.

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said: “The Coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on leisure across the country and Mid Sussex’s leisure centres were not immune from this. We have worked hard with Places Leisure to find a way to reopen our three centres in a Covid-secure and financially sustainable way.

“The Council is making available a huge financial support package for leisure in Mid Sussex, potentially £2.5 million in this financial year, a level of subsidy which was not required before Coronavirus and without which the leisure centres would not reopen. Given the huge sums of money involved, which this year will come from the Council’s reserves, it is right that we have taken time to thrash out the best possible deal.

“Our leisure centres are an important part of our community and it’s fantastic that they will now be able to reopen on 1^st Sepember. I know how keen people are to get back to the gym, exercise classes and the swimming pool and I would like to thank residents for their patience while we negotiated this support package.

“Once the leisure centres are open, I hope that residents will make use of them. They are safe and the more they are used, the less the burden will be on the taxpayer. I hope that the reopening on 1^st September will be another important step towards a more normal way of life”.

Steve Warriner, Places Leisure Area Manager said: “We’re delighted that The Dolphin, Kings Centre and The Triangle will be re-opening on 1 September and we look forward to welcoming customers back to our gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools.

“You will be able to find details of our opening times, customer FAQs and a list of all our available activities on our website at www.placesleisure.org/reopening/midsussex.”