Council leader: Wandsworth “well prepared” for coronavirus outbreak

By Sian Bayley, Local Democracy Reporter

The leader of Wandsworth council has said the authority is well prepared for an outbreak of coronavirus, but has urged against panic.

As of Monday afternoon there were 319 cases of confirmed Covid-19 in the UK, with three deaths – all to people aged over 60 with underlying health conditions.

But the Government expects that figure to continue to rise in the coming days – and London is the worst-hit area in the country, with 51 confirmed cases.

More than 20,000 people have been tested with the vast majority testing negative.

Speaking at a council meeting last week, Wandsworth leader Ravi Govindia said: “Our Public Health team are leading and co-ordinating all relevant partners across Wandsworth in readiness for a pandemic, and a multi-agency strategic coordination group has already been set and has met to review preparedness for coronavirus.”

He added that the council’s intranet site has been providing updates and information for staff since February.

He said: “There have already been a number of instances impacting on staff involving school closures and the need to self-isolate due to friends’ and relatives’ potential exposure to the virus.

“We are providing help and advice to staff and managers in these cases and are establishing a dedicated HR helpline to ensure very swift advice is provided.

“This is always based on the latest Public Health England advice but tailored to our local situation and scenarios as they arise.

“The council is promoting the need for services to prepare for a significant increase in home working where this is possible, by advising staff to carry their council laptop at all times.

“Services have been asked to ensure their business continuity plans are fully up to date, which will also include those services delivered by our partner organisations.

“Good and effective planning will play a critical role in ensuring we minimise disruption to services for the vulnerable groups who are dependent on council services.

“This is of course a very fast-moving situation, but we are well placed to ramp up or change advice to staff as and when needed.”