Leaders 'confident' over handling virus waves in city

Chiefs in the city said they can "overcome" the threat of the pandemic by working together with other partners.

It comes as Wolverhampton was named as a potential "hotspot" for the virus which could lead to a local lockdown.

But the notion was dismissed by leaders who said it wasn't correct – with cases in the city remaining low and stable.

John Denley, Wolverhampton Council's director of public health, said: "Our outbreak control plan is how we want to go about managing future outbreaks in the city.

"The plan involves nothing new – it's building on the actions we've been doing with our partners.

"We need our message to be as decisive as possible so we can get that across to people in the city.

"We want to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and save lives and help as many people return to normal life in a safe way as possible.

"This is about everyone working together. We all have to play a part in keeping ourselves and other safe."

The plan has been put together by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and the Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, along with the authority.

A report to the Health and Wellbeing Together board added: "So far we have limited the impact of Covid-19 at a city level.

"As lockdown eases, and we begin to adjust to a new kind of normal, we must continue to do all that we can to prevent the spread of the disease.

"This includes continuing to develop and refine a very local response that meets the needs of our city.

"As we move into the next phase of living with Covid-19 and traditional winter pressures emerge, a new combination of challenges present themselves.

"We are confident that together, we are well equipped to manage and overcome the ongoing threat that Covid-19 poses and support the social and economic recovery of our city."