It comes after Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said there have been outbreaks in construction, supermarkets and fast food outlets.
He said these places are the new frontline and asked employers to ensure workers are protected, as concerns grow that complacency could creep into the workplace as restrictions ease.
Gerry Light of Mandate trade union says workers need more information about the clusters:
“We’ve been unhappy for a while now, that in the categorisation of the different work groups, that retail workers haven’t been detailed in the manner that we would have been satisfied with.”
“We need to get more details in respect of the extent of the increases, and the nature and the type of retail employment that they’re happening in.”
He said employers have adopted a reasonable approach “by and large,” and appealed to customers to think about retail workers by wearing a face mask.
Employers
Retail Ireland, which represents employers, says the number of cases linked to shops has been very limited over recent months and they will continue to follow best workplace practices.
Medium sized businesses have spent around €10,000 on measures to comply with social distancing, while smaller businesses have spent around €4,000, according to the latest Business Impact Survey by the Central Statistics Office.
Almost half of businesses surveyed required mandatory personal protective equipment, while three in ten who responded said they had used temperature screening in the workplace in response to Covid-19.
