North Lanarkshire Covid-19 outbreak at NHS contact-tracing centre
Health officials are investigating a cluster of Covid-19 cases at a call centre in Scotland that carries out contact tracing for the NHS.
US firm Sitel confirmed on Sunday that its call centre in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire has suffered a “local outbreak” of infections.
“We take the safety and wellbeing of our staff very seriously,” a Sitel spokesperson said. The company added it has requested that “everyone who has been working at the site” books and completes a test within the next 24 hours.
One employee told BBC Scotland that they believed at least seven colleagues at the centre had tested positive for the virus.
An NHS Test and Trace spokeswoman said the outbreak is being managed by Sitel and NHS Lanarkshire, “who are following appropriate test and protect action in line with Scottish government advice”.
She added: “Everyone at the site is currently working from home while a deep clean takes place, and will be offered a test within the next 24 hours.”
Dr David Cromie, a consultant in public health medicine for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We became aware this morning [19 July] of a number of potentially linked cases of coronavirus in Lanarkshire. We instigated some immediate measures to reduce risk and are currently investigating the situation.”
A worker at the Sitel centre reportedly told Monica Lennon, the Labour MSP for Central Scotland, that physical distancing had not been maintained by employees in shared spaces and during work breaks.
“I asked if they felt the working environment was safe. They answered no,” Lennon tweeted. Sitel has been approached for further comment in relation to these claims.
A spokesman for the Scottish government said it was monitoring the situation and “will support partners in containing this outbreak”.
“Where potential clusters of cases develop, we must find them and act quickly to prevent further spread, and we are grateful to local partners for their swift response,” he said. “A small increase in the number of cases is not unexpected as lockdown is lifted, and that is why it is essential that people follow the rules with regards to contact tracing and leaving contact details when asked.”
Earlier, the Scottish government said 23 new cases of Covid-19 had been detected across Scotland in the past 24 hours. They follow an increase of 21 new cases on Saturday – the highest daily figure in almost a month.