Coronavirus: Royal Mail insists precautions taken after Peterborough postal worker diagnosed with Covid-19

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Royal Mail has insisted that precautions have been taken after a postal worker in Peterborough was diagnosed with Covid-19.

The Peterborough Telegraph was contacted by a person working at the sorting office in Werrington concerned that posties who may have come into contact with the worker were being asked to continue working as normal, which they feared could put the public at risk.

But a spokesperson said Royal Mail was prioritising health and safety.


He told the Peterborough Telegraph: “We can confirm that a colleague in Peterborough has been diagnosed with the Covid-19 coronavirus. The colleague self-isolated as soon as they began showing symptoms, six days before diagnosis. Our thoughts are with our colleague and their family. We wish them a speedy recovery.

“Our first priority is the safety of our colleagues, and we take their health and safety very seriously. Working with local CWU (Communication Workers Union) reps, we are keeping colleagues updated and continuing to promote PHE (Public Health England) preventative guidance. We have already adopted enhanced disinfectant cleaning of communal areas in all Royal Mail sites on a daily basis, and an additional clean of the facility has taken place.

“Throughout this crisis, every decision we make puts the health of our people first. We have already committed around £15 million on buying equipment such as hand sanitiser, gloves and other additional protective measures designed to keep our people safe.

!We continue to follow the preventative guidance of public health authorities. All colleagues self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms are paid in line with our usual sick pay policy. This includes full pay for the first six months.

“We are advising colleagues that good hand hygiene is the first and most important line of defence. This includes promoting regular hand washing with soap and water. We have introduced a range of new social distancing measures.

“Standard ways of working have been revised to ensure that, wherever possible, colleagues stay two metres apart. We have implemented a new rule that means there will only be one person in a Royal Mail delivery vehicle at any one time. In line with guidance from public health authorities we are already issuing face masks to colleagues in several areas where social distancing is not practical.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and adapting our policies in line with Government guidance.

“As part of our approach to protecting our colleagues and the public, we would remind customers to keep at least two metres distance from our colleagues at all times. Public Health England guidance says there are no additional precautions needed for handling post or packages.”

So far in Peterborough, 101 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The number of coronavirus patients at Peterborough City Hospital who have died is 26, while the number at Hinchingbrooke Hospital is 19,