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A LIDL supermarket has been forced to close its doors after a number of staff tested positive for coronavirus.
The German retailer confirmed shop workers had been diagnosed with Covid-19 at the branch in Middlesbrough.
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Shoppers said the supermarket on Cargo Fleet Lane closed its doors on Friday.
It then remained closed over the weekend due to a shortage of staff amid the outbreak.
Middlesbrough Council have previously said the TS3 postcode area home to the Lidl store had a high number of coronavirus deaths.
In a statement, Lidl said the safety of its colleagues and customers is “critical” to the firm.
Locals who use the supermarket had been told the shop is expected to be reopened tomorrow, reports TeesideLive.
In a statement, Lidl said: “We have been in touch with those members of our team that have tested positive for Covid-19, to offer our support and wish them a speedy recovery.
“We fully understand that this is a concerning and difficult time, not only for our own workforce but for the whole country.
“We have been closely following government advice throughout this period and have stringent measures in place across all of our business areas to protect colleagues and customers.
“Our teams are all playing a crucial role in continuing to feed communities across the country.
“It is therefore vitally important that we reopen the store as soon as we can, to ensure that households have access to the essential food and products they need.”
Council teams have been distributing leaflets of government advice in the postcode area after a series of coronavirus deaths at James Cook University Hospital.
It is unclear what has caused the higher death rate, with Middlesbrough having 559 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
Major Andy Preston said: “We have some early local data on the parts of town where there may be an increased risk from Covid-19.
“Analysis from James Cook shows a high mortality rate for patients from the TS3 postcode.
“We’re sending a leaflet to every home in that area, reminding people of the risks and asking them to follow social distancing measures.
“It’s so important that we keep people safe and we’re also reminding people of the help the council can offer vulnerable people.”
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It comes as the UK death toll surpassed 28,000 yesterday as the total case count is now more than 183,000.
Experts fear the number of fatalities could be as high as 45,000 due to an unusual number of “excess deaths” not counted in the official figures.
Questions are now being asked about when the lockdown will end, with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to extend measures into June later this week.
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The PM last night revealed doctors prepared to announce his death as he fought his own battle with the coronavirus.
I’ve told The Sun on Sunday doctors gave him “liters and liters of oxygen” to keep him alive.
It came as a poll last week revealed two thirds of Brits were suffering from “coronaphobia” and were too scared to leave the house or return to work.
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