A Hove pub which was visited by the local father who has been diagnosed with coronavirus says it is opening as usual.
The businessman, who is thought to have contracted the virus at a conference in Singapore, visited the pub after returning to the city but before he became unwell.
Public Health England contacted the pub but said that there was no need for it to close. Five staff are “self-isolating” as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, another person who came into contact with the father has become the fourth confirmed UK case. It’s not known where the person is from but chief medical officer Chris Witty said that they were now in London.
A student at the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) who also came into contact with the man has been advised to self-isolate for 14 days.
Five UK nationals who were on a ski holiday with him in France have also now contracted coronavirus and are in hospital in France.
The Mail on Sunday has today reported that they include environnmental consultant Bob Saynor, 48, and his nine-year-old son, who moved with wife Catriona to France from Hove three years ago.
Today, the Grenadier posted on Facebook: “As you may have seen in the news, we can confirm that we were informed by Public Health England that a member of the public confirmed to have contracted coronavirus visited the Grenadier prior to becoming unwell.
“We have followed the advice and have worked closely with Public Health England who have advised us that there is minimal ongoing risk of infection to either guests or staff, so please be reassured that the pub remains open for business as usual.
“If you would like more information, it’s best that you read the advice from the NHS and not contact the pub as our team have been asked to direct the public online to make sure everyone can see the latest advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wuhan-novel-coronavirus.
“Thank you to all guests for supporting all of the team at the Grenadier responding to this situation and supporting the work of Public Health England.”
This same man also visited family/friends in France before he returned to the UK, and 4 of those 11 people have tested positive, while the remainder of the group are being isolated/tested. Schools in the french town he passed through are now to be closed for 2 weeks as a precaution, and yet the pub remains open as usual.
A medical centre is on lockdown in Brighton but Public Health England contacted the pub they could stay open. I don’t believe that but if..then Let’s hope at least that pubs customers have common sense and stay out of there
How did he get home from the airport.
Was he on Gatwick Express, if so did he take a Taxi or Uber from the station?
Has he been using Buses to travel?
It would be helpful to know. For example, if he has been in a Taxi or an Uber the driver should be informed and tested and the cab sterilised etc…
Doesn’t seem like the British authorities are taking this very seriously!!!
Public Health England have advised everyone to keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Did he visit Uncle Sams over the road after the pub. As most people Grenie regulars do.
I need to know if he played on the fruit machine, used any of the pool cues or bought blue pills from the condom machine.
I mean…my friend needs to know.
Virus lives 48-72h minimum on surfaces. On a warm plane longer. Think of the 100s or 1000s that touched seats he touched on Easyjet flight from Geneva to Gatwick and all its flights over last 6 days near his seat or worse if he went to toilet. They all need tracing and isolating.
We need to consider stopping all overseas flights for a month and isolate Brighton till all his contacts traced and isolated. 5 staff members are in isolation from the pub in Hove he visited 7-9 last Saturday. I hope its been well cleaned?
So many inconsistencies with the handling of this outbreak and gaps in the information they are giving out. As a Hangleton resident I want more answers. Eg
– who else went to the pub that night?
– why is the doctors surgery shut for deep clean and the pub not? It’s worth remembering that the pub was visited by the actual super-spreader – the surgery wasn’t.
– where else did the SuperSpreader go? Did he visit the local Tesco or Sainsbury’s? He’d just got back from a business trip so guess he would have needed some basic essentials.
– did he go to the GP surgery before the hospital?
– did he visit the yoga studio on Portland Road, or was it a private session at home?
– if he visited, did he catch a bus; did he visit a coffee shop
Etc etc
Then there’s also all the missing details of what flight he was on, how he travelled from the airport to his house.
Also as a related aside – watching the news tonight, why were the bus drivers who brought the quarantined patients from the aeroplanes to the quarantine centres not in hazmat suits? Have they now also been quarantined?
I thought the Chinese handling of it was poor when they silenced their doctor who tried to report it. But at least they seem to have the right idea of stopping it spreading. Seems our government haven’t got a clue.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425702
spreading as he went