Five people at a County Durham care home have tested positive for coronavirus.
Two residents and three members of staff at Unity House in Peterlee have tested positive for the virus.
Operated by Lifesways, the facility on Westcott Road specialises in caring for people with learning disabilities.
A spokesman for Lifeways said: “Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, Lifeways have taken every precaution to keep safe the people we support, their families and carers, and our staff teams.
“A large number of Covid-19 tests were undertaken on Thursday, October 22 as part of our ongoing testing regime, and the results of these tests were received on Monday, October 26.
“These tests revealed that two people we support and three staff members had tested positive.
“We followed best practice and immediately took all the actions required under Government guidelines, including informing Durham County Council, the CQC and Public Health England.
“We have kept our staff team fully informed at all times.
“We report to the local authorities on a daily basis the situation regarding Covid-19 at all our care homes, including Unity House.
“We can demonstrate that we have acted properly and promptly at all times following Government guidance and we will continue to do all we can to keep people safe during this difficult time.”
