MORE than 80 Cumbria County Council employees are suspected of having contracted coronavirus.

The authority released the figures to sister paper The Mail as it looks to consolidate services and respond to the challenge of supporting key workers across the county.

The council is responsible for managing Cumbria’s 400 schools as well as providing social care, maintaining most of the county’s roads, managing libraries, household waste recycling centres, the fire service, adoption services, infrastructure and bus schedules.

The county council is also leading the multi-agency response to the coronavirus pandemic which includes public information bulletins from the police, health service, district and borough councils, and updates from central government.

Some of the council’s 6,000 employees have been reassigned from their normal jobs to assist with the community hubs in transporting foods and equipment to vulnerable people in the community.

Others have been redeployed to other departments in order to protect key services such as adult social care.

Libraries, household waste recycling centres and parking enforcement have already been suspended in a bid to tackle and slow the spread of the virus.

The county council has now confirmed to The Mail that 82 employees are currently off work with suspected or confirmed coronavirus.

“Cumbria County Council is working around the clock with partners to maintain vital public services where possible and support the people of Cumbria through the work of our incredibly committed workforce,” a spokesman said.

“As at Thursday 26 March the council had 82 suspected or confirmed COVID19 related cases recorded.

“We continue to monitor this and support our workforce in these very challenging and difficult times.”

Yesterday the council confirmed the schools which will remain open and act as ‘hubs’ to provide childcare for children of key workers and other eligible pupils.

This includes children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.

Vulnerable children include children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

Key workers, including healthcare workers and others whose jobs are classed as essential, who require childcare must make a request for the limited childcare availability on the council’s website by completing the form ahttps://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LRVDHXS

The council has asked all parents to check government guidelines on who is an essential key worker before submitting an application.

Council bosses have also said that, if possible, children of key workers should remain at home.

Parents and carers have also been urged not to ask people who are in the strict social distancing category to care for their children/

This includes people over 70 and those with underlying health conditions.

Key workers can find further information about childcare at https://cumbria.gov.uk/coronavirus/serviceupdates.asp