Leisures centres in Sudbury and Hadleigh close to public as cases of Covid-19 continue to rise

Leisure centres in Sudbury and Hadleigh have closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Kingfisher Leisure Centre and Hadleigh Pool and Leisure have both shut their doors to the public today (Friday).

Babergh District Council said it had made the decision following discussions with its partner, Abbeycroft Leisure, which manages the facilities on its behalf.

The authority has also taken the step to cancel all council meetings in March and April, as it explores alternative approaches to ensure a democratic decision-making process can still be conducted.

Council leader John Ward said: “The important thing now is for our councils to work together with our communities to ensure the safety of residents and our staff and to keep our services running.

“Our councillors and officers are doing everything possible behind the scenes and, although we may need to work differently to deliver our services, we ask that the public understands and works with us during this time.”

Adhering to government advice, all councillors and officers deemed in high risk groups have been instructed to self-isolate, while working from home during the outbreak.

The authority has said it remains committed to keeping council services operating, which may involve adopting preventative measures, such as reducing face-to-face services, including its pop-up customer access point at Hadleigh Library.

Staff required to visit homes in the community, such as tradesmen who carry out essential repairs in council houses, are adhering to strict hygiene and social distancing guidelines.

To protect both residents and themselves, a series of additional questions may be asked before they enter homes.

The authority will explore various options to provide support to communities following the financial measures pledged by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, this week.