SHOPS ARE HIT BY PINGDEMIC
CHAIN FORCED TO SHUT STORES AND REDUCE HOURS
THE boss of Welsh supermarket chain Filco has been forced to close stores and reduce hours because of the number of staff who are having to self-isolate.
The company has nine stores in Port Talbot, the Vale of Glamorgan, and Bridgend and has between 15 and 20% of its staff off after being ‘pinged’.
Director Matthew Hunt said: “The problem seems to be growing as we progress through this period. It is a challenge, so we have had to reduce and close two stores within the past couple of weeks.
“It does seem to be a growing problem and it is very difficult to navigate your way safely through it.”
He said that very few staff had actually had coronavirus, but he said that there was confusion about getting a notification from the app and being contacted by Track and Trace.
“We have been getting very quickly upon the situation and take any action required,” he told BBC Radio
Wales. “There is a lot of confusion and the impact it is having on our stores, is not just ourselves.
“We are the end product of a supply chain. Each stakeholder within that chain is facing a similar problem. If you take 20% out of the haulage system, which is already stretched, and you take 20% out of the production, it really does magnify. By the time you see the impact of that in a supermarket, it can be quite stark.
“We have had deliveries cancelled, which has been a real challenge for us, especially as the weather has changed and demand rises. I do fear there is going to be some shortages but we have been quite resourceful in how we have sourced our products.”
He added: “A consequence of opening up and putting people close together is that infection will move around. I think the hope is that the vaccine programme is reducing the threat to health of those that catch it.
“I think the expectation is it moves from being a significant health threat to a much lesser one, at which point you are treating it like a common cold was before this all started. The world should be able to carry on if you get an infection.”
Many businesses have continued to call for reform of self-isolation rules.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said “speed was of the essence” as crippling staff shortages threatened to close supermarkets and bring car production lines to a halt.
Marks & Spencer chief executive, Steve Rowe, told the Sunday Times that the number of Covid cases was doubling every week, with three times as many staff being pinged.
On Monday, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi suggested there would be no changes to the NHS Covid app’s sensitivity after calls for it to be dialled down amid a shortage of staff in some sectors.