Sheffield Council warns of rise in ‘pingdemic’ cases among staff

It comes amid a nation wide increase in the number of people being told to self isolate which has caused staff shortages and disruption in industries where people cannot easily work from home, including in supermarkets and on transport networks. The phenomenon has been dubbed the ‘pingdemic’.

Those who are contacted by Test and Trace or notified through the app – which happens when someone has been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19 – must stay in their homes for a period of time, usually 10 days.

When asked how it was affecting Sheffield Council councillor Alison Teal, executive member for sustainable neighbourhoods, wellbeing, parks and leisure said: “We currently have 137 staff self-isolating, we had 85 in June. If these numbers continue to rise, decisions about services and how they might be affected will need to be taken.”

Last week, green bin collections for garden waste were suspended in Sheffield until further notice due to staffing shortages caused by the ‘pingdemic’.

A statement from Veolia, which provides waste management services for the council, said: “We regret to advise that due to Covid-19 impacting staffing levels, garden waste collections are suspended for two weeks.

“We’ll continue to review the situation and the service will resume as soon as possible.

“Please keep your green bin on your property until collections restart.”

A number of residents have contacted the council demanding a partial refund of their bill.

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