Covid-19 cases among staff at local supermarket

Tesco Ireland has said it has followed "all appropriate public health advice" after "a small number of staff" at its outlet in the Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone tested positive for COVID-19.

The first of the positive tests are understood to have become known on Friday.

The company did not confirm how many staff were involved.

In a statement to the Westmeath Independent, a Tesco Ireland spokesperson said: “The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority. We can confirm that a small number of our colleagues at our Golden Island store have tested positive for COVID-19.

"We are fully engaged with the HSE and have followed all appropriate public health advice.

"We provide face coverings to all colleagues, and continue to emphasise that physical distancing, respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene are the most important actions to protect everyone against the spread of COVID-19.

"We have extensive measures across all of our stores to help keep everyone safe, including protective screens at every checkout, social distancing signage and regular cleaning. We will not be providing information about individual colleagues."