Covid-19 coronavirus cases confirmed on Isle of Skye, NHS Highland reveals; outbreak includes care home in Portree
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
COVID-19 has been confirmed on Skye, NHS Highland has said.
The health board said an outbreak had been confirmed in a Portree care home and that "substantial testing" is under way to find out the true extent of the infection.
It is thought the care home is Home Farm, which is run by HC One.
In a statement this afternoon, a spokesman for NHS Highland said: "There is an independent care home in Portree, Skye with a Covid-19 outbreak.
"There is substantial testing underway to fully understand the extent of infection.
"The care home is being supported through the Health Protection team within Public Health, local health and social care teams, Primary Care as well as the Adult Social Care functions within NHS Highland.
"All assistance will be made available to the care home in order to contain and manage the situation."
Responding to the news, Skye Community Response – a volunteer response team which works to collaborate various volunteers and groups island wide – said there had been an unspecified number of confirmed cases of coronavirus on Skye in recent days.
And the group urged people to take extra care to minimise its spread and avoid contracting it.
"Skye Community Response can verify that there have been a number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on the island in recent days," it said in a statement.
"It was expected that our community would begin to see cases, it was a question of when, not if this would happen.
"Be assured that your fantastic NHS and health care services were prepared for this and are giving the best possible care to those impacted.
"We all share a responsibility to protect ourselves, our loved ones and other members of the community. Our health care providers are doing a superb job under extremely difficult circumstances, we owe it to them to give our support in every way we can.
"For all of us that means we must avoid any temptation to drop our guard. Whilst other parts of Scotland and the UK may be approaching or passing the peak of the pandemic, we are just seeing the start. It is, therefore, absolutely imperative that the entire community continues to follow the direction issued by the Scottish Government.
"Stay at home, only go outside for essential food, health and work reasons, stay two metres (6ft) away from other people, wash your hands regularly, and wash your hands as soon as you get home.
"Please note that Skye Community Response are not in a position to provide any details regarding any ongoing Covid 19 cases."
