Covid among staff hitting vital services
COUNCIL DRAWS UP CONTINGENCY PLANS
CONTINGENCY plans have been drawn up to ease pressure on Mansfield’s frontline services in the face of increasing worker absence due to Covid.
Mansfield District Council says collecting waste has been one of its biggest challenges, after some collections were missed because of workers’ absences due to casdes of coronavirus and associated self-isolation.
Due to cases among the waste and recycling crews and a shortage of HGV drivers, glass collections have been suspended.
Services are currently being focused on emptying green general waste and blue recycling domestic bins.
The council will collect glass from residents during the next scheduled delivery, or notify them if they can continue earlier.
Additional recycling material will be collected on the next scheduled collection if it is presented in a recyclable container such as a cardboard box or paper bag.
And to catch up on collections, the council is offering staff overtime to deliver extra bin rounds once operatives are able to return to work.
It is also using agency staff and redeploying staff from other council services where possible to work with bin crews.
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “Like many businesses and authorities across the country, the council has been feeling the effects of the current upsurge in Covid cases.
“Our biggest challenges lie with the front line in neighbourhood services including waste and recycling, street cleansing, and the crematorium.
“The council continues to make the safety of colleagues and customers a priority and we’re taking steps to keep ourselves and the public safe.
“In particular we are encouraging all council staff to test themselves regularly and ensure they are as protected as they can be against Omicron by being fully vaccinated.
“They have done an amazing job over Christmas and New Year in very difficult circumstances with many going the extra mile to keep services going.
“We can only apologise where this has not been possible and ask people to bear with us while we ride out the current Covid storm.”
Covid infections have also hit other services in Mansfield, including the crematorium, the museum, and the Palace Theatre where three performances of the pantomime Sleeping Beauty were cancelled due to a Covid outbreak among the crew.
Theatre shows in January are expected to resume, starting with the Johnny Cash Roadshow tomorrow.
The museum is currently open but on reduced hours.
The council has reintroduced daily reporting to assess and address the current operational impact on services and manage staff absences, plus weekly meetings to deal with any new Government measures.
The council has been asked to help support the NHS throughout January by facilitating patient discharges from hospital.