A member of staff at the Tesco Superstore in Portadown has tested positive for Covid-19.
And colleagues at the outlet in the Meadows Shopping Centre have voiced concerns at how the information was relayed to them.
In an internal WhatsApp message, senior store staff informed workers last Wednesday “to try and keep things as calm as possible as we still have a business to run”.
The member of staff returned a positive test result at the start of last week.
Armagh I understands that the staff member works on the main floor in the grocery department.
The information and the identity of the confirmed case was not relayed to shop workers “due to GDPR” and “in keeping with confidentially”, according to the message sent via WhatsApp.
But staff said they felt they had a right to know.
A source said: “Multiple staff members were asking for more detail so they can ascertain if they or their family members are at risk and nobody is answering our questions.
“Tesco Portadown won’t even tell their staff if they worked the same shift that Tuesday and staff have been told – including those exposed – unless they have symptoms, they should be coming to work. It’s just mind blowing.”
Other staff have self-isolated and a number who have since had tests undertaken have to date returned negative results.
The source said management at the Portadown outlet had now stopped communicating via WhatsApp.
The source added: “The store manager on Saturday finally addressed the situation with staff and said the cleaners were cleaning more.”
Armagh I contacted Tesco head office on the matter.
A Tesco spokesperson said the “safety of customers and colleagues is our top priority”.
And they added: “We have introduced extensive measures across all of our stores to help keep everyone safe, including protective screens at every checkout, social distancing signage and regular deep cleaning.”
