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Coronavirus Outbreak Sees 19 DPD Workers Test Positive

Coronavirus Outbreak Sees 19 DPD Workers Test Positive

The council said the chances of catching the virus from a parcel are 'extremely low'

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

A coronavirus outbreak in the West Midlands has seen 19 DPD staff test positive for the virus.

The employees, who work for the parcel delivery firm in Oldbury, Sandwell, are now self-isolating.

The DPD site includes a regional distribution hub as well as a local delivery depot, but the council said the chance of anyone catching Covid-19 off a parcel are 'extremely low' - though the 'situation remains very serious' in the area.

A team preparing to disinfect a DPD site in Germany following a coronavirus outbreak in May.
PA

Sandwell was added to Public Health England's 'area of concern' list on 31 July and has one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the UK, currently sat at 20.1 per 100,000 people.

Twelve of the 19 staff who tested positive for Covid-19 did so after 31 July, the council said.

Deputy council leader Councillor Maria Crompton thanked DPD for their cooperation.

She said: "We got in there early and that's really important. The company has been very helpful and hopefully we can catch this before it spreads.

"That's the main thing for us - making sure we've got the measures in place to test everybody and ensure we can contain it."


Director of Public Health for Sandwell Dr Lisa McNally said: "DPD UK alerted us to this outbreak and are taking all the necessary steps to make sure employees who need to isolate are doing so. This is important to stop other people becoming ill.

"Businesses should ensure that their staff do not come into the workplace if they have symptoms, have tested positive or have been in contact with a confirmed case. If a business does have two or more coronavirus cases in their workplace then they must notify us as soon as possible."

CEO of DPD Dwain McDonald said: "We would like to thank Sandwell Council and Dr Lisa McNally and her team for their speedy and effective response in helping us to manage this situation.

"As you would expect for a major employer in the area, the safety and well-being of our people is our top priority. We will continue to work closely with the Public Health team moving forward."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

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