An emergency response group set up by the Isle of Wight Council at the start of the Covid pandemic has been disbanded.
The Local Outbreak Engagement Board (LOEB) was set up in 2020 to be the public face of the council during its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, after not meeting for more than a year, it is ‘no longer required’ – the council said.
Regular updates
It gave updates on case numbers, any potential outbreaks in the community and reassurance from the director of public health, council leader and other senior officials.
It has been stood down, like many of the emergency response arrangements that were set up at the height of the pandemic, a council spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said other authorities have also taken the same steps.
Monitoring continues
The monitoring and response to Covid on the Island is continuing, regardless of the board, they said.
They have been fully integrated into the ‘business as usual’ function of the public health team, the spokesperson said.
Delegated decisions
Moving forward, any necessary decisions can be dealt with by the leader of the council or by cabinet.
The Health Protection Board, chaired by the director of public health, which meets every three months to review incidents on the Island.
If it is deemed necessary, senior board members may escalate risks or issues in their organisation.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Adam Niescioruk under CC BY 2.0
