Cleveland declares major incident in response to coronavirus as confirmed cases in UK rise to 3,983

The coronavirus pandemic in Cleveland has been declared a major incident.
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At a meeting of the Cleveland Local Resilience Forum, which works alongside local authorities including Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-On-Tees, it was agreed to announce this further step in order that the councils could action additional procedures and policies.

This is a regional multi-agency response and is being co-ordinated by the LRF in partnership with the Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit, Cleveland Police, Local Authorities, Cleveland Fire Brigade and local NHS services, among others.

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It comes as 71 people in the North East are confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirusIt comes as 71 people in the North East are confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus
It comes as 71 people in the North East are confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus
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Denise McGuckin, chairwoman of the LRF, said “By declaring a major incident, this allows our four local authorities the powers to stand down non-essential services and simultaneously adapt to ever-changing circumstances and identify the reallocation of staff to maintain the delivery of key services.

“In this unprecedented time, I want to assure you that our multi-agency response is not a reaction to an increase in the number of cases of Coronavirus nor any other factors – this is purely a preventative and proactive measure to enable us to put our tried-and-tested resilience planning in to action as fast as possible.

“As we experience a number of key concerns in relation to staffing levels, increased demand for our emergency services and our welfare services, we need to drive all resources possible to meet this pandemic.

“I’d urge the public to continue following the advice from Public Health England and the Government around good hygiene, access to health services, social distancing and self-isolation.”

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Today (Friday, March 20), NHS England announced that a third person in the North East has died after testing positive for the virus in South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

It comes as the Department of Health and Social Care announce 3,983 people have tested positive for coronavirus – a rise of more than 700 in 24 hours.

As of 1pm on March 20, 177 patients who have tested positive for the virus have sadly died.

Boris Johnson has now told all cafes, restaurants, bars, gyms and leisure centres to close and not reopen for the foreseeable future.