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A Tesco supermarket has been hit by a coronavirus outbreak amid a surge in cases across Swindon.
The chain has confirmed that the affected staff at its Extra store are now self-isolating, a spokesman confirmed today.
Swindon was recently placed on a government watchlist after a surge in COVID-19 infections, but is not currently in a local lockdown.
A spokesperson for Tesco said: ‘We have introduced extensive measures across all of our stores to help keep everyone safe, including protective screens at every checkout, social distancing signage and regular deep cleaning.’
The chain has confirmed that the affected staff at its Extra store are now self-isolating, a spokesman confirmed today
The town has also been hit by further outbreaks at the weekend with 51 staff at an Iceland warehouse testing positive for the disease.
Depots at Honda and Royal Mail have also seen small outbreaks after the easing of lockdown restrictions.
A further 3 crew members at the town’s fire station were also found to have the highly-contagious disease.
Swindon was added to the coronavirus surveillance report on August 7, published by Public Health England.
The list covers places where extra measures such as local lockdowns or increased testing may be introduced.
The latest figures revealed that the town has had 1,020 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Depots at Honda (pictured) and Royal Mail have also seen small outbreaks after the easing of lockdown restrictions
The store affected employs hundreds of people and delivers to residents. The exact number of workers who tested positive is unknown.
A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council’s Public Health department told The Sun: ‘We are aware of the very small number of Covid-19 cases affecting staff at the Tesco store.
‘Our Public Health team is working closely with Tesco and colleagues in Public Health England.
‘All staff affected are self-isolating in accordance with government guidance.’
It comes as Boris Johnson has said ministers will ‘not hesitate’ to impose a quarantine system for travellers from other countries to the UK if needed.
Britain’s official coronavirus daily death count could be scrapped following an investigation into Public Health England’s method of counting the toll
Britain’s total coronavirus cases have jumped by 1,062 in the biggest daily rise in six weeks. The country has not seen an increase this large since June 25 – when 1,118 cases were reported in a single day
The Prime Minister said: ‘I don’t want to advise people about their individual holidays, individual decisions, they should look at the travel advice from the Foreign Office clearly.
‘But what I will say, and I hope people would expect us to do this, in the context of a global pandemic, we’ve got to keep looking at the data in all the countries to which British people want to travel.
‘Where it is necessary to impose restrictions or to impose a quarantine system, we will not hesitate to do so.
‘It’s been a huge effort for the entire population of this country to get the disease down to the levels that we are currently seeing, but we do not want reinfection and that’s why we’ve got to keep a very, very close eye on the data in destinations around the world.’
Preston is expected to go into tonight go into lockdown because cases of Covid-19 have almost tripled in a fortnight, officials announced today.
Health chiefs warned the measures for the Lancashire city – home to 140,000 people – will be kept under review but threatened tougher action if residents don’t abide by the rules.
All residents will be banned from mixing with any other households indoors or in a garden from midnight, in a last-ditch attempt to curb soaring rates of coronavirus. They will also be urged to avoid meeting with friends in any setting, such as pubs and restaurants.
But officials claimed people living under the lockdown measures – around 5million across the UK – are still able to meet others in groups up to six from two households in pubs and restaurants.
Matt Hancock today announced the same strict coronavirus-fighting rules must also stay in place in Greater Manchester and other parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire because cases have yet to decline.
And the ban on household gatherings will still apply to Leicester, which last month became the first city to be hit with a local lockdown. New cases in the city have halved since last month.
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