A CORONAVIRUS outbreak at an asylum seekers’ hostel in Birmingham has erupted with 56 people infected. The Serco-run Stone Road Asylum Centre is now closed until further notice. Residents have been moved to alternative accommodation where they will be required to self-isolate. Birmingham City Council confirmed 56 people at the hostel have tested positive for […]
A CORONAVIRUS outbreak at an asylum seekers’ hostel in Birmingham has erupted with 56 people infected.
The Serco-run Stone Road Asylum Centre is now closed until further notice.
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Residents have been moved to alternative accommodation where they will be required to self-isolate.
Birmingham City Council confirmed 56 people at the hostel have tested positive for coronavirus.
A multi-agency response has been launched involving the council, Public Health England, the Home Office, the Home Office contractor Serco, and Urban Housing, a sub-contractor of Serco.
The hostel has also been slapped with a direction order, which requires the site to tighten its protection against the killer disease.
Two other notices have been issued in Birmingham after tougher measures were imposed on the city last week following a surge in cases.
City Council leader Ian Ward said: “Contact-tracing is now also under way and is being carried out in the relevant languages of affected residents.”
There are fears Birmingham could be plunged into a local lockdown after cases rocketed.
At the start of August, the city had an infection rate of around 12 cases per 100,00 population.
In the second week, that number doubled to 24 and the infection stands now at “around 30” per 100,000 people.
