An outbreak of covid among staff working for Harrogate Borough Council has caused delays to waste and recycling collections this week.
In a statement this afternoon, the council said it was the first time a number of staff had fallen victim to the virus in 15 months.
It added some staff were also off sick due to adverse reactions to the vaccine.
The council later said on social media staff were issued with the necessary safety precautions.
It said it hoped to catch up with refuse, recycling and garden collections by the end of Saturday.
The full council statement said:
“You may have seen on social media, or first-hand, that some waste and recycling collections have been delayed this week, and last. Throughout the covid pandemic, our crews have worked tirelessly in all conditions to ensure collections take place as normal.
“By-in-large, this has happened week in, week out with very few delays, while we also adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines. Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus or have had to self-isolate.
“In addition, some have also suffered adverse reactions to their vaccines. We are doing our very best to catch-up and have recruited volunteers from some of our other services to lend a helping hand with rounds.
“Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus.
“We are optimistic that we will have all this week’s garden, refuse and recycling collected by close of play on Saturday. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused but hope you understand the position we’re in. We’ll have a further update later in the week.”
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