BP garages and Iceland stores forced to shut as ‘pingdemic’ grinds UK to halt

Supermarkets and petrol stations are being forced to close due to staff shortages caused by the NHS Check and Trace system.

As ‘pingdemic disease’ spread across the country, Iceland closed ‘several shops’ due to too many employees being asked to self-isolate by the Covid app.

The supermarket chain said 1,000 employees, or 4% of its workforce, had to stay home for this reason.

It has been forced to reduce operating hours in some stores and said it will hire an additional 2,000 employees to make up for the absences following an advertising campaign.

Supermarkets that have managed to stay afloat are struggling to keep their shelves full due to a shortage of workers.

BP had to close several stations due to lack of petrol and diesel fuel due to lack of drivers due to too many people being pinged.

However, the oil company said ‘most’ of the shortage was ‘resolved within a day’.

It said the problem was made worse by the closure of a distribution terminal, as employees were asked to quarantine last week.

Meanwhile M&S has warned that 20% of its workforce will be isolated by mid-August, which could force the company to reduce opening hours.

Some will be pinged by the Covid app, while others will be contacted by Testing and Tracking officials.

Calling Downing Street to take action, British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: ‘We’ve seen a severe impact on retail as employees are self-isolating and this is only going to get worse. worse right across the economy, as cases rose rapidly and restrictions were finally eased. ‘

The government is currently planning to allow fully vaccinated people to be exempt from the 10-day quarantine requirement from August 16.

But Ms Dickinson called on Number 10 to pull this forward so that people are no longer forced to ‘unnecessarily quarantine’.

Boris Johnson has announced plans to exempt a ‘small number’ of key workers who are fully vaccinated so they can continue their jobs.

He said these areas would include ‘food, water, electricity, medicine, running our trains, protecting our borders and protecting our borders’.

When asked if he could expand the list, he said he was reluctant and added that self-isolation to control the virus was ‘one of the only ways left in the closet. ours’.