Covid: Hotel thought prom-goers had negative tests before spike

The manager of a hotel at the centre of a school prom Covid spike says he was assured everyone had passed a lateral flow test before attending the event.

More than 50 positive cases have been linked to the party at the Cwrt Bleddyn hotel near Usk in Monmouthshire.

Manager Simon Daniel said he thought he had been dealing with Caerleon Comprehensive School in Newport over the event for 120 Year 11 pupils.

He said he now believed a parent on the prom committee had organised the party.

One member of staff at the hotel is isolating after testing positive for coronavirus, he said.

Mr Daniel said he believed the graduation party organiser had been under the genuine assumption that those attending had all received a negative lateral flow test result.

He said: "We thought this was an official school prom - we thought we were dealing with the school.

"On the actual day of the prom I met up at the hotel with the main organiser that we'd dealt with, who assured me she had 120-odd negative lateral flow tests.

"If it had to be postponed, we could have postponed it."

Newport Council said the event was not organised by Caerleon Comprehensive but staff had sent messages out to the Year 11 group urging them to get a test.

Mr Daniel said he was told by Newport Environmental Health officers after the event that the school had not organised the prom.

He added: "I was there on the night - the event went off without a hitch...

"We've got protocols in place, procedures and risk assessments."

He said the hotel had no control over what pupils did before and after the event.

On Wednesday Newport Council said: "There are over 50 positive confirmed cases now associated with the prom event cluster.

"Most of these cases stem directly from the event, with some cases also stemming from a number of parties held after the event."