Melton pub reduces hours after 21 staff forced to isolate

Opening hours have had to be reduced at a Melton town centre pub due to 21 members of staff being unavailable because four have tested positive for coronavirus and the others were told to self-isolate by the NHS test and trace app.
The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122859001The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122859001
The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122859001

The Kettleby Cross, on Wilton Road, closed at 6pm yesterday (Sunday) and will take last orders at 9pm tonight and tomorrow evening.

Staff at the Wetherspoons pub have taken a decision to alter shifts and opening and closing times because they don’t have enough staff to be open for the usual hours.

Manager Dan MacCallum described the situation as ‘a perfect storm’ of staff members being pinged by the app as a result of contact with family members, university friends and people they had encountered while on holiday.

The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122909001The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122909001
The Wetherspoons Kettleby Cross pub in Melton EMN-211207-122909001

He said: “More staff members will be available again soon and we hope to be back to normal opening hours by Wednesday.

“It has been a perfect storm of staff members having to self-isolate for a variety of reasons.

“Some have had to due to being in contact with family members, we have people who are isolating due to contact with someone at university and others have been notified while they were on holiday and they’ve unable to return to work yet.”

Mr MacCallum added: “We have been taking strict Covid security measures, we have test kits available to staff members and everyone has their temperature checked before they start a shift.”

Staff are cleaning all surfaces and contact points regularly and they say numerous hand sanitisers are in place.

The pub is also thoroughly cleaned at the end of every trading day.

A Wetherspoon spokesman said: “We can confirm that four employees are currently isolating having tested positive for Covid-19 at the Kettleby Cross, Melton Mowbray.

“In accordance with NHS guidelines, these employees are required to self-isolate for the requisite 10-day period.

“Wetherspoon wishes the employees a full and speedy recovery.

“As a precaution, in accordance with public health guidelines, 21 other members of staff who may have come into close contact with the employees who tested positive or who have been notified by the NHS Covid-19 app are currently self-isolating for 10 days.

“Close contact means being within two metres of a person who tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more or within one metre for one minute or more.”

Covid cases have been rising in the Melton borough with 208 reported in the week to July 8, a rise of 126 on the previous seven days.

The infection rate for the borough is now up to 406 per 100,000 population with the England average being only 261.