Ten employees at a pub in Burnham-On-Sea are isolating following one of them testing positive for coronavirus.
JD Wetherspoon, the pub chain which runs The Reeds Arms on Burnham-On-Sea seafront, confirmed the news on Tuesday (June 22nd) after one of the pub’s staff members attended a ‘third party venue which had confirmed Covid cases’.
Several staff at the Burnham pub are now in isolation for a 10-day period, and a spokesman for Wetherspoon confirmed that under the current circumstances, the pub is not required to close.
He added that Wetherspoon has implemented a number of social distancing measures in all its pubs in compliance with government Covid guidance and regulations. These include table service only, reduced capacity levels, the spacing of tables and the installation of a number of floor screens between tables.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We can confirm that one employee has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Reeds Arms in Burnham-On-Sea after attending a third party venue which had confirmed Covid-19 cases.”
“In accordance with NHS guidelines, this employee is required to self-isolate for the requisite ten-day period. Wetherspoon wishes the employee a full and speedy recovery.”
“As a precaution, in accordance with public health guidelines, five members of staff who may have come into close contact outside of the workplace with the employee who tested positive have also been asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Close contact means being within two metres of a person who tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more or within one metre for one minute or more.”
“Unrelated to the above, four other members of staff are also self-isolating on a precautionary basis due to members of their family either developing symptoms or testing positive.”
“In the circumstances, the pub is not required to close. Staff are conducting regular surface cleaning and numerous hand sanitisers are in place in each pub. The operating procedures and hygiene practices implemented by the company mean that all hand contact points are frequently cleaned and sanitised throughout the day. Pubs are also thoroughly cleaned at the end of every trading day.”
“In addition, Wetherspoon has implemented a number of social distancing measures in all its pubs in compliance with Government COVID 19 guidance and regulations. These include; table service only, reduced capacity levels, the spacing out of tables and the installation of a number of floor screens between tables.”
“While it is not possible to create an entirely risk-free environment, adherence to social distancing guidelines and rigorous implementation of hygiene standards minimises the risk.”
