Covid outbreak at DVLA in Swansea declared over

A Covid outbreak was declared at the DVLA's contact centre in December

The outbreak at the Swansea branch of the DVLA has been declared over, officials have said.

A coronavirus outbreak was declared at the offices in December, with more than 500 cases among employees confirmed to date.

Since then, there has been a vote to strike due to fears of it being an "unsafe environment".

Public Health Wales (PHW) said people had to follow coronavirus rules to reduce the risk of transmission.

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PHW said it had been working with Swansea Council, Swansea Bay University Health Board and the Health and Safety Executive, and meeting regularly to help the DVLA with managing the workplace.

Since 1 September 2020 a total of 560 cases of Covid-19 among the 6,000 DVLA employees based in Swansea have been identified.

An outbreak in the DVLA's Swansea Vale Contact Centre was declared on 21 December.

PHW said there had been no linked cases among call centre staff in the past 28 days but it would continue to monitor the situation.

DVLA chief executive Julie Lennard said the organisation was pleased PHW had confirmed the outbreak was over.

She said staff safety was its "top priority".

"Currently six members of staff, out of a workforce of more than 6,000, have tested positive and are currently isolating at home. These include two staff who are working from home.

"We will continue to work with Public Health Wales, Swansea Council and Swansea Bay Health Board to keep our site Covid-19 secure."