More Covid concerns as Wellingborough delivery office postal wokers test positive

This is a third reported outbreak in the county this month among postal workers
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Royal Mail has confirmed that three members of staff at the Wellingborough Delivery Office in Midland Road have tested positive for Covid-19 with others self-isolating.

The cases come hot on the heels of an outbreak in Corby when sixteen postmen and postwomen tested positive for Covid-19 at the town's sorting office.

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A Royal Mail spokesman said: “There are currently three colleagues that have tested positive for coronavirus at Wellingborough Delivery Office.

Wellingborough Delivery Office in Midland RoadWellingborough Delivery Office in Midland Road
Wellingborough Delivery Office in Midland Road

"We wish them a speedy recovery. Some colleagues are also self-isolating.

"Royal Mail takes the health and safety of its colleagues, its customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously.

"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."

In June last year, six workers were reported to have Covid-19 at the Wellingborough Delivery Office with one worker saying they were 'scared witless' by the outbreak.

The spokesman said “Right from the start of this crisis, we have played a key role keeping the country connected. Every single letter and parcel is important to us.

"Across the UK, our people are working hard to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible to all our customers in challenging circumstances.

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"Despite our best endeavours, it is possible that some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to higher volumes of mail during the lockdown, the ongoing impact of COVID-related staff absences and necessary social distancing measures at local mail centres and delivery offices."

A fortnight ago our sister paper The Chronicle and Echo reported that Royal Mail staff at Northampton's Crow Lane sorting office and depot were exhausted and concerned for their mental health.The spokesman said: “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."