Covid hotspot linked to Exeter Chiefs rugby fans celebrating title win in pubs

A surge in coronavirus cases in Devon's worst hotspot town can be traced back to local pubs where fans cheered the local rugby team's Premiership title win at the start of October half-term.

The day before Exeter Chiefs’ winning performance on 24 October, the town of Brixham had reported just 20 cases in the previous week, according to government figures.

The town now has more than 100 cases and track and trace shows the rise can be linked to communal events like the Exeter Chiefs match, a local councillor said.

Popular local pub, The Burton, said they closed the day after the Premiership final for a deep clean after hearing that a customer had tested positive for the virus.

A spokesperson for the pub said: “We were busy that day and we later found out that one girl had got it, and her husband got it off her. We also heard that somebody who worked as a nurse who got it had been in.

“Everybody was socially distanced and separate tables - but they did cheer. People were not crammed in.“

Customers of The Burton also work in nearby businesses where cases have been reported, the spokesperson told Devon Live.

“There's nobody can say where it spread from. That's a difficult one. But it's not true that it started here.”  

Figures show Torbay council area, where Brixham is situated, has the highest infection rate in all of Devon.

Dr Caroline Dimmond, Torbay’s Director of Public Health, revealed coronavirus was now in 14 care homes and 35 schools around the council area.

A spokesperson for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust confirmed there have been positive cases at Brixham Hospital: “Unfortunately, some staff have tested positive for Covid-19 and as a consequence are isolating. We are ensuring they receive full support during the time they are having to be away from work.”

Brixham ward councillor and Torbay Council cabinet member Mike Morey told Devon Live: “Through track and trace we can see that Brixham was busy over half-term, like elsewhere.

“But through Track and Trace we can see that there was a rise after special events like the Exeter Chiefs match where viewed the match in communal setting.

“The other rise that we can see is that people are letting their guard down and different households have been meeting up and forgetting to social distance.

“There is also a spike in cases around the harbour. We had a detailed map of the two wards and it clearly identifies that it has now spread right across the town.

“People became complacent. Devon felt safe for a while, but it was a false sense of security," Mr Morey said.