Covid: Bus depot shuts as 28 drivers test positive

Arriva Buses Wales said the infections had caused "inevitable disruption"

A bus depot has closed after 28 bus drivers in Wrexham tested positive for Covid-19.

On Monday Arriva said it was experiencing "significant disruption" as a result of staff shortages following the positive test results.

On Tuesday it tweeted it had also taken the "difficult decision" to suspend some services.

A spokesperson said they were looking to "redeploy resources" to reopen routes in coming days.

A member of staff in Bangor, who is not a driver, has also tested positive.

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Arriva tweeted that services would be suspended from Wednesday morning.

Wrexham county currently has the highest infection rate of any council area in Wales, with 853.2 cases per 100,000 people over the most recent seven-day period.

A spokesperson for the company said it would be prioritising routes its "key worker customers require for their essential journeys".

They added: "All other services are suspended with immediate effect, whilst we look at how we can redeploy resources which may allow us to reintroduce some routes over the coming days."

"Arriva Bus Wales has closely worked with public health agencies, local transport authorities, experts and trade unions to protect employees and customers from Covid-19 as much as possible."

They said that included increasing cleaning in all buses and depots.

"Our drivers sit behind screens that separate them from customers and if they need to leave the cab, they wear face coverings, customer seating within two metres are not in use and we also encourage contactless payment where possible," the spokesperson added.

"We will continue to support Public Health Wales and local authorities whilst following all the latest Covid-19 guidance, as we continue to prioritise keeping our colleagues and customers safe."

It comes as staff at Wrexham's Maelor Hospital said they were under immense pressure as Covid cases in the county were double the Welsh average.