Shops and salons warn of potential disruptions as Covid surge hits staffing

Many shops have had to curtail opening hours as a result of high Omicron numbers. Almost 24,000 new cases of the virus were notified yesterday, as Ireland notified its one-millionth case.  Picture: Leah Farrell

Major disruption has extended for a second week for staffing at supermarkets, fashion outlets, and hair salons amid the continuing huge wave of Omicron illness, the largest grocers, small shop owners and biggest retail trade union have warned.

Almost 24,000 new cases of the virus were notified yesterday, as Ireland notified its one-millionth case. 

Such high figures have become the norm in recent weeks, leading to widescale workplace absences due to illness and close contacts.

Tesco, which is one of the three largest supermarket chains in Ireland, said some of its stores had been forced to curtail opening hours but that it was doing all it could to ensure the safety of staff.

SuperValu, the Musgrave-owned chain which also owns Centra, confirmed some of its franchisees had cut opening hours.

An Aldi spokesperson said all its stores remained open for business with only “minimal changes” to opening hours so far, but said that the isolation rules for close contacts was challenging.

The Irish Hairdressers Federation,  which includes salon businesses Peter Mark, Blow, and Brown Sugar, said that Omicron illnesses had “a devastating effect” on salon owners on Saturday and Sunday. 

Some salons had reported four to eight staff out ill over the weekend, the spokesperson said.

Liam and Diane Ryan, who operate five SuperValu and Centra outlets in Co Cork and Co Limerick, said that 102 of 562 full and part-time staff were off ill one day last week, with knock-on effects to the opening hours of one store. 

Yesterday, illnesses were still running at exceptionally high levels, with 82 staff not available for work, Mr Ryan said.

Jonathan Hogan, assistant director general of trade union Mandate which has 30,000 members in retail, including staff at Tesco, Dunnes, Penneys, SuperValu, and Marks & Spencer, said the disruption was continuing for a second week, with other staff taking up the slack to ensure stores kept operating.

Mr Hogan said that given that Covid antigen tests were free of charge to all in the North that retail employers in Ireland should provide free kits to their staff because staff in stores were facing huge pressures.

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “We, like all sectors, have seen an increase in Covid-related absence in recent days and continue to monitor the situation closely”.

A spokesperson for the SuperValu group said all its stores were open yesterday but some outlets had curtailed opening times because of the elevated levels of Omicron cases.

“As SuperValu stores are operated by independent retailers, a small number of stores may have reduced opening hours due to higher than normal rates of staff shortages,” the SuperValu spokesperson said.