A second worker at Nissan tests positive

A second worker at Nissan’s Sunderland plant has tested positive for COVID-19 as four other members of staff isolate at home.

It is the second confirmed positive COVID-19 case at the site since production lines resumed last month – but the car manufacturer says the two cases are not linked.

An additional four members of staff are now selfisolating at home as a precaution in line with Public Health England’s guidance.

A Nissan spokesman said: “We are in close contact with a member of our team who is now recovering at home. We are working closely with Public Health England, and a further four members of our team will now begin a period of selfisolation.

“The safety of the team is our top priority and we will continue to follow all public health guidelines. We have a thorough and comprehensive set of proactive safety measures in place to protect our staff, which we will continue to review in line with public health advice.”

The second positive case at one of the region’s largest employers follows a warning by Sunderland Council’s Director of Public Health, Gillian Gibson, that the city stand on the ‘knife-edge’ of coronavirus as number of new cases double in two weeks.

On July 14, Nissan confirmed one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 which lead to an additional 14 workers isolating at home. Nissan closed factory doors in March days before the Government announced a national lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.