THE travellers at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak in Shropshire have said they’ve been “treated like animals” – but locals claim they are not isolating.
A total of 23 cases of the virus have been confirmed at a caravan site in the market town of Craven Arms, with health officials fearing the number will continue to rise.
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Testing started when two positive cases were confirmed at the site in Long Lane last week.
The cases are thought to have arisen after a visit to the site by around 100 travellers from the surrounding area, mostly from another site in Welshpool, 24 miles away, for an engagement party.
Around half a dozen people are thought to have been diagnosed at the Leighton Arches caravan site in Welshpool.
Residents at the Craven Arms site have been asked to remain there, while Shropshire Council have arranged for the delivery of fuel, groceries, and medical supplies to the site.
Speaking to the Guardian, one traveller, Patrick, who didn’t want to give his full name, said that fewer people at the site had tested positive than has been claimed.
“They are treating us like animals,” he said.
“Would they shut a housing estate down if there were a few cases like there have been here? We are being treated differently”.
He confirmed that the first cases arose after travellers from Welshpool visited for an engagement party.
He also confessed that he had flouted the request to stay on the site with a visit to the town centre yesterday, but said a grocery shopkeeper had refused to serve him.
One local of the town said: “The young woman who got engaged was from Craven Arms and I think her fiance is from the Welshpool clan.
“They have behaved very irresponsibly by throwing the party.”
Carol Streatfield, 68, a volunteer at a charity shop in the town, said she was concerned that the community would start to see an uptick in cases.
“I’m angry. They’ve been silly buggers if they’ve had a party,” she told the Guardian.
“I’ve got nothing against them but it would be a shame if the whole town was affected.
“We have a lot of elderly people here who would be vulnerable.”
Rachel Robsinson, the county’s director for public health, said: “Cluster outbreaks are not uncommon during a pandemic and we would like to reassure people that the risk is still very low.
“We are continuing to provide Long Lane residents on-site support, as well as guidance to help keep them and their loved ones safe.”
But as the number of positive cases rose from 21 to 23 in a day, Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said it was “worrying for people concerned and the local community”.
“It’s very concerning whenever there is an outbreak,” he said.
“What is encouraging about this for the population as a whole is it is a self-contained caravan site so the residents are co-operating fully with Shropshire Council, therefore one hopes this won’t spread into the wider population.”
All residents who have come into contact with one of the positive cases at the site in Craven Arms have been asked to self-isolate with their households for 14 days.
The 23 people who tested positive for coronavirus were asked to self-isolate for at least seven days from the time they started showing symptoms or from when they received their positive test result.
A testing centre has been set up on a nearby business park and everyone living on the site has been offered a test.
The centre will be open for the next two weeks between 10.30am and 3.30pm and those living nearby can book a test online via NHS Test and Trace or by ringing 119.
A playground close to the caravan park has also been closed to help reduce social contact and the risk of transmission.
Councillor David Evans said: “Our priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our local residents.
“I’ve been in Craven Arms to talk to residents and businesses to answer any questions and reassure them that the risk to the general public is low.”
He added: “I would like to thank members of the community for their own ongoing support and cooperation.
“We continue to rely on everyone at the site playing their part, and want to encourage the residents to continue to self-isolate and take all the necessary precautions.
“This is the only way we can help stop the spread of the virus.”
Shropshire County Council said staff had been at the site providing residents with information on how to prevent the spread of the virus, its symptoms and what to do if they are feeling unwell.
A statement read: “All residents on the caravan site have been asked to self-isolate with members of their households for 14 days following contact with a positive case.
“This means that residents of the site are asked to remain in their homes during the period of isolation and stay within household groups, to reduce risk of spread within the site and the wider community. “
Officials will monitor people’s symptoms on a daily basis, and PPE equipment, hand sanitisers and cleaning products have also been distributed on site.
It comes as the number of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK has passed 300,000 – it currently stands at 300,111.
Government figures show 45,759 people have died after contracting the coronavirus.
However, these numbers only include people tested, and the actual death toll is higher.
The UK has the highest official death toll in Europe and the third highest in the world, after the US and Brazil.
