AN outbreak of Covid-19 has been confirmed at a major distribution firm.

Clipper Logistics in Barlby Road, Selby, has confirmed the outbreak following a report by The Press yesterday that North Yorkshire County Council and Public Health England (PHE) were investigating cases at an unnamed workplace.

A spokesperson for Clipper, which distributes goods for retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Morrisons, said: “As this global crisis progresses, it’s clear no community is insusceptible to Coronavirus and, like many others, we, too, have been impacted with a number of confirmed cases. That said, there is no evidence to suggest these cases were contracted in the warehouse.

"As the health and wellbeing of our staff is our number one priority, we are maintaining our social distancing protocols, conducting daily on-site testing and communicating regularly with staff and the Environmental Health Officer, who has visited the site in the last week and verified our approach.”

The firm, which provides distribution and logistics services to retailers, is working closely with all of the agencies involved, including the county and district councils, PHE and the Health and Safety Executive, to tackle the outbreak.

On-site testing support has been provided to staff to identify additional cases, in order to limit further spread.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, said: “The company is working very closely with us as we take every measure, including workforce testing on site, to contain this outbreak.

“As a consequence we know that local infection rates will appear higher and show a short term increase before they start to drop again.

“However, this outbreak only serves to highlight that Covid-19 is still circulating among the population and shows how easily the rate can spike. So, as lockdown eases, we must all make every effort to follow the guidance around hands, face, space and fresh air, as well as taking up vaccination when it is offered.

“Our plea to everyone is to be extremely careful and to keep following the regulations until it is safe to resume a more normal way of living – we have come too far and made too many sacrifices for this effort to be wasted now.”

The authority says the focus is currently on the firm, however, they are also tracking any other cases in the community to reduce potential spread.