A council report has found that tram services across Nottingham were hit in January after almost 90 members of staff were forced off sick because of the new variant of Covid.
The NET Operational Performance and Progress Update from November last year to the end of January shows the performance and progress of the tram network.
It showed that 89 members of staff were absent including 53 drivers, meaning that a reduced Sunday service was enforced on 22 January.
But despite the limited timetable, the report says that “it still proved a significant challenge to deliver a robust service.”
According to the report, the new highly transmissible strain of Covid-19 resulted in a large number of absences as staff were forced into self-isolation.
It goes on to say that: “Additional protective measures have been implemented at the depot, including the wearing of face masks, the requirement for all staff who can, to work from home, and the introduction of Covid Marshalls.
“A daily tracker of absenteeism, which was shared with stakeholders, has been used to manage through the epidemic.
“The situation has now greatly improved, with staff returning to work after recovery from the virus or ending their self-isolation.
“In January, the NHS Advisory Unit audited the Covid measures that had been put in place in the depot and around the business.
“The NHS were extremely complimentary and cited multiple areas of best practice.”
After staff absences had a big impact on services at the start of the year, the report says that NET will now begin to return to a normal timetable as lockdown restrictions begin to be lifted this week.
It states: “Following the recent Government announcement that schools and colleges will fully reopen from March 8, it is proposed that NET will return to operating a full weekday timetable from this date.”
When asked about the number of staff absences in January, an NET spokesman said: “Like many other organisations, following a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases we saw an increased number of employees correctly following NHS and government guidance on self-isolation.
“At the same time, as a result of the tighter restrictions introduced after Christmas, customer numbers again fell to a fraction of pre-pandemic levels and a sensible decision was made to introduce a temporary timetable that has seen a modest reduction in the number of services.
“Although the latest wave of the pandemic has proved challenging for everyone, the move enabled us to maintain a robust service for those who still needed to travel, including key workers, that matches current demand.
“Throughout the pandemic, the safety of customers and employees has remained our overriding priority, and NET has reacted quickly to government guidance, introducing a wide range of measures to help prevent the spread of the virus.
“These have included an enhanced cleaning process and signage to assist social distancing on board trams and at tram stops, and a recent inspection at our depot by an NHS Advisory Unit found the steps taken had gone above and beyond expectations.”
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