'Hundreds' of people tested for coronavirus after outbreak at local pub

The Crown and Anchor in Stone has closed following confirmed cases of coronavirus. (Reuters)
The Crown and Anchor in Stone has closed following confirmed cases of coronavirus. (Reuters)

“Hundreds” of people have got tested for coronavirus after an outbreak at a pub in Staffordshire.

They turned up to a COVID-19 walk-in centre when pub-goers were urged to get tested following the confirmation of 10 positive cases at the Crown & Anchor in Stone.

Health chiefs asked people who had been working or drinking at the pub on July 16, 17, and 18 to get tested.

A resident, who did not want to be named, described queues of people at the centre, adding: “Hundreds of people have already been down there, and it only opened this morning.”

One individual with a positive result attended a private social gathering, further spreading the virus, Staffordshire County Council said.

A notice is displayed outside the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visitors of the pub in Stone, Britain, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine
A notice outside the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of coronavirus. (Reuters)
A soldier wearing a face mask gestures as people queue near the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visitors of the pub in Stone, Britain, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine
A soldier wearing a face mask gestures as people queue near the Crown and Anchor pub. (Reuters)

The Crown and Anchor confirmed it would be closing to "review our risk assessment in order to deal with the difficulty that we faced with social distancing”.

Ayrron Robinson, who lives opposite the pub, said it had been “really busy every weekend” since reopening on 9 July following months of lockdown.

He added to the Stoke Sentinel: “Last Saturday, I'd say there were 100 to 200 people there. They were like sardines. It's basically gone back to how it was before lockdown.”

In a Facebook post, the pub said it had an “overwhelming amount of people visiting” the establishment on Saturday.

A woman wearing a face mask walks outside the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visitors of the pub in Stone, Britain, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine
A woman wearing a face mask walks outside the Crown and Anchor pub following positive coronavirus tests of recent customers. (Reuters)

The pub added: “We are grateful and appreciative of all our customers and want to make it a safe environment for you when we reopen next weekend.”

Dr Richard Harling, director of public health at Staffordshire County Council, warned: ”People who caught it at the pub could still be infectious.”

He said "not very much" is known about the private gathering attended by one of the pub’s customers.

However, Harling added: “This appears to largely be a young adult demographic, young adults in the 18-21 age bracket.”

People queue near the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visitors of the pub in Stone, Britain, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine
People queue near the Crown and Anchor pub following the confirmed outbreak of coronavirus. (Reuters)
People queue near the Crown and Anchor pub following a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visitors of the pub in Stone, Britain, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine
The Crown and Anchor said it had an 'overwhelming amount of people visiting' the establishment on Saturday. (Reuters)

Staffordshire County Council said a walk-in testing centre would be available at Crown Street car park in Stone on Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 5pm.

Yahoo News UK has contacted the Crown and Anchor for a comment.

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