Hotel in Kilkenny closes after four staff test positive for Covid-19

Kilkenny's Newpark Hotel has temporarily closed after four staff tested positive for Covid-19. File picture.

Four staff at a hotel in Kilkenny have tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in the premises being shut.

The Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny will remain closed until Friday as management confirmed that the affected members are now self-isolating after advising management that they were unwell.

A statement from the four-star hotel wished their “valued staff a full and speedy recovery,” adding that they are “actively supporting them at this time”.

“The Newpark Hotel is following all appropriate best practice protocols and has been liaising with the HSE throughout," they said.

“The Flynn Hotel Collection and the management of the Newpark Hotel have independently, and purely as a precautionary measure, taken the decision in the interest of our staff and guests to close the hotel for a number of days for staff roster realignment ahead of reopening.

“That decision and the process of closing began this morning and the Newpark Hotel will now be closed from Monday, October 5, until Friday, October 9."

This decision by the Flynn Hotel Collection to temporarily close the Newpark Hotel, although not taken lightly, is in line with our Because We Care programme (BWC).

The statement added: “From the outset of the Covid 19 outbreak, central to that programme is to — where possible — go further than HSE or industry guidelines and to always put the wellbeing of our staff and guests first.

“This remains a fundamental priority during these challenging times. Management and the team at the Newpark Hotel look forward to welcoming the public back on Friday October 9.”