Wetherspoons confirms 66 staff have tested positive for coronavirus across 50 pubs

Wetherspoons has revealed that 66 staff members across 50 branches in the country have tested positive for coronavirus since reopening. 

Around 32 million people have visited Wetherspoons since they reopened there doors in July. 

The company has now announced that of its 41,564 employees, 66 have tested positive for Covid-19. 

One case of the virus has been reported in 40 pubs, six pubs have reported two cases, two pubs have reported three and two pubs have reported four cases. 

The firm said most of the cases have either been mild or asymptomatic, and 28 of 66 employees have returned to work after self-isolating. 

The locations of each pub with Covid-19 cases has not been disclosed by the company. 

Wetherpoons boss, Tim Martin, has added that trade was quiet over the weekend following the tightening of restrictions from the government. 

Mr Martin said: “Trade was very quiet over the weekend, as the public weighed up the evidence about the alleged dangers of going out – Wetherspoon sales were 22.5 per cent below the equivalent Saturday last year.”

The firm has invested around £15m in social distancing and hygiene measures, despite this, Mr Martin has told investors that the safety in pubs throughout the pandemic has been ‘widely misunderstood’. 

He added that ‘it is clearly not the case’ that pubs are ‘dangerous places to be’.

The group said bar and food sales were down 16.9% from the period between reopening and August 16th, compared to last year.

Mr Martin has explained that they are expecting to post a loss for the year to July 26th.