Four more pubs close in Stone after Covid outbreak
A private party has now been linked to Staffordshire’s coronavirus outbreak – as more pubs in Stone announced they were closing as a precaution.
At least 10 drinkers who visited the The Crown & Anchor in Stone over the weekend of July 16-18 have had a confirmed case of coronavirus – and one of their number is also believed to have been at a private bash.
The news comes as the Army stepped in to offer testing assistance, setting up a mobile unit on Crown Street car park. People can be tested by appointment-only today, tomorrow and over the weekend.
Four other pubs in the town – The Swan Inn, The Talbot Inn, The Red Lion and The Lounge – have now all announced temporary closures as a precaution.
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A Facebook post by The Swan in Stafford Street said that “management and staff have taken the pragmatic decision not to open the pub this week”. No Covid-19 cases have been linked to the pub.
The Talbot Inn said: “In light of the current Covid-19 outbreak in Stone we at the Talbot have taken the decision to close the pub for the next few days to ensure the health and safety of our staff and customers.
“We will be keeping abreast of the current situation with test results and positive cases.” The closure was due to be reviewed on Friday.
The Red Lion’s Facebook page said: “We’ve taken the tough decision to temporarily close our pub, this is a voluntary decision and we have no reported Covid cases at the pub.
“We are in dialogue with local health authorities and we want to do our part in keeping the local community safe, we look forward to welcoming customers back once it is safe to do so and will be in touch with more news soon.”
The Lounge has pushed back its scheduled reopening on Saturday.
Dr Richard Harling, Staffordshire County Council’s director for public health, said: “The majority of publicans are behaving very responsibly, making sure people are safe when they are in their establishments.
"But we cannot afford to slip up – we have to be vigilant all the time. It’s a timely reminder to publicans – if you can keep lists of your patrons it does aid these contact-tracing activities in the event we do get cases.
“We have new powers to enforce closures and restrictions on a whole range of premises – parks, shops, parks, gyms and leisure centres. We’re reluctant to use those unless we really have to – but if we get establishments that are consistently flouting the rules then that is something we may have to consider.”
The Crown and Anchor will remain closed this weekend for a risk assessment review, following an ‘overwhelming’ amount of visitors the weekend before.
Stafford Borough Council, which is responsible for environmental health and licensing, said the pub would not be able to reopen until a deep clean had taken place and a risk assessment was in place that will keep staff and customers safe.
Meanwhile the August Stone Farmers’ Market, which was due to be held on Saturday, has been cancelled.
And High Street venue Reggie’s of Stone is set to close at an earlier time of 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
