A Norfolk care home has confirmed up to 40 residents and staff have tested positive for coronavirus.

Gresham Care Home, in Gorleston, confirmed the outbreak on Thursday and said they were working with outbreak teams to manage the situation.

A spokesperson for the care home, on John Road, said between 15 and 25 residents and 10 and 15 members of staff had tested positive for Covid-19.

They said: “A number of our staff and residents have tested positive for Covid-19 and we are actively managing the situation.

“We can report that between 15 and 25 residents and 10 and 15 staff have currently tested positive.

“We are working closely with Norfolk’s local outbreak management team and colleagues from Public Health England, Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group and Norfolk County Council’s adult social care following the outbreak at our home.

“We have been contacting relatives to provide information and assurance and are following the advice of the specialist teams in caring for our residents.

“We appreciate this is a worrying time for our residents and their families.

“Their safety and also that of our staff is our top priority at this time.”

Dr Louise Smith, Norfolk’s director of public health, said on Thursday it seemed Covid-19 has now gone into the epidemic phase in Norfolk, with transmission in areas which previously had low rates.

And she said there were now concerns over the potential spread of the virus to older age groups - which would be a key issue for the county’s hospitals in coping at what is always their busiest time of the year.

Great Yarmouth has the highest rate in Norfolk, with 165 positive cases per 100,000 people.

A spokesperson for Public Health Norfolk said: “We are working with Gresham Care Home to provide testing and support following an outbreak of coronavirus.

“Infection control nurses are supporting the care home and we are continuing to provide advice to help minimise the risk of the virus spreading further.

“We know this might be a worrying time for those who have loved ones at the home.

“We will continue working with our partners to support the home to minimise the impact on residents and their families.”