Up to FIFTY members of staff at a Tesco superstore in Manchester ‘off work with coronavirus’
A TESCO superstore has been hit by a coronavirus outbreak – with up to fifty members of staff apparently off work with the bug.
The supermarket giant said a number of staff at the Chester Road store in Manchester were self-isolating.
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A family member of an employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Manchester Evening News that fifty staff members were either off with Covid-19 or awaiting test results.
In a statement, the retailer admitted “a number of colleagues are off work due to self-isolation, test and trace or Covid-19”. They did not specify how many members of staff were affected.
Tesco also confirmed that a staff member at the store had died, though they did not confirm a cause of death “out of respect fo the employee’s family”.
The supermarket giant said “extensive” measures were in place across all stores, including social distancing signs and hand sanitisation stations.
It comes after Boris Johnson today warned shoppers of the risk of picking up items in supermarkets.
He told a Downing Street briefing: “Please remember that this disease can be passed on not just by standing too near to someone in a supermarket queue, but also by handling something touched by an infected person.”
Supermarket chains have also pledged to crack down on Brits flouting strict lockdown rules.
Face masks are compulsory for all Brits without a medical exemption, and Tesco, Aldi, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s this week confirmed that shoppers will be denied entry without a face covering.
Shoppers must also stand at least one metre apart to help stop the spread of the bug, while stores are also limiting the number of people allowed inside at one time.
A Tesco spokesperson told the MEN: “A number of colleagues at our Stretford store are off work due to self-isolation, test and trace or Covid-19.
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“The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority and we are following all Government guidance, working closely with Public Health authorities and taking all the relevant precautions.
“We have extensive measures across all of our stores to help keep everyone safe, including limits on the number of customers in store, a ‘traffic light’ system in many stores, social distancing signage, colleagues at store entrances to help with safety measures, sanitising stations, protective screens around checkouts, and face coverings and other protective equipment for colleagues.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a colleague at our Stretford store and we’re supporting our colleagues at this difficult time.”