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Thirteen members of staff at a Royal Mail delivery office have tested positive for coronavirus.
The cases have been confirmed at the North Tyneside office on Cumberland Road, in North Shields, and some staff are also self-isolating.
Royal Mail says an “intensive clean” has been carried out at the site and deliveries are continuing.
A spokesperson added: “Royal Mail takes the health and safety of its colleagues, its customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously.
“There are currently 13 colleagues that have tested positive for coronavirus at North Tyneside Delivery Office.
“We wish them a speedy recovery. Some colleagues are also self-isolating.
“We have carried out an intensive clean of the site and have organised additional cleaning of key touch points and all communal areas.
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“We are keeping the CWU (Communication Workers Union), PHE (Public Health England) and colleagues updated. We continue to deliver parcels and letters on a regular basis.”
Royal Mail also says that, throughout the pandemic, procedures have been in place to help prevent the spread of infection.
The spokesperson said: “Throughout this crisis, every decision we make puts the health of our people and customers first.
“We have put in place a range of preventive measures to protect both our customers and our colleagues. We were the first UK company to put in place social-distancing measures in relation to parcel delivery.
“We pioneered contact-free delivery. We are temporarily not handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures.
“As well as encouraging good hand hygiene, standard ways of working have been revised to ensure that colleagues maintain appropriate social distancing at all times.
“All staff have been briefed about the social distancing measures jointly agreed by local management and the CWU. This has been supplemented with visible reminders such as posters and one-way floor markings.”
In January, a Covid outbreak was confirmed at a Newcastle Royal Mail site. Six staff members had tested positive at the Heaton Delivery Office.
