Last week’s Isle of Wight council Cabinet meeting had to be rescheduled after at least one member testing positive for Covid-19, and this week the Regeneration and Neighbourhoods Policy and Scrutiny meeting had to be postponed “as a precautionary measure as members of the committee were self-isolating due to Covid”.
Prompted by readers, News OnTheWight put a quick question to the council press office.
We asked,
“Not looking for names, so data protection shouldn’t be a problem, but please can you advise how many IW councillors have tested positive for C19 in the last three weeks.”
An Isle of Wight council spokesperson said,
“While we greatly value and welcome the scrutiny of our local media, and respond in full wherever possible, on occasions there are important reasons why we can’t go into greater detail — in this case, linked to providing personal information which could risk identifying people.
“It is also impossible to provide an accurate figure as councillors are under no obligation to share their health status with us. Where the council has been informed of a positive result, swift action has been taken, in line with Public Health guidelines, to prevent further spread, including postponing council meetings where necessary.
“These cases illustrate how important it is that all Islanders continue with regular lateral flow testing and the key Covid-19 safe behaviours of social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing, especially if planning to attend an event or a meeting in-person.
“Making good choices and taking personal responsibility is essential to preventing the continued spread of the virus in the community.”
