Bradford restaurant Akbar's shuts after seven workers test positive for coronavirus

Seven employees at the popular Akbar's Indian restaurant in Bradford have tested positive for Covid-19, prompting bosses to temporarily shut down the premises.The cases at the Leeds Road restaurant have all come in a short three-week window, with the last known case reported on August 20.The owners of Akbar's have made the decision to shut down entirely for five days, with all infected staff self-isolating for at least 10 days.Owner Shabir Hussain said: “We could have sent a number of our staff home to self-isolate and stayed open using other employees but we felt this was the responsible thing to do to make sure we are 100 per cent safe going forward.“It also gives us a chance to give our people a bit of a holiday because they have been so incredibly busy during the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ promotion.“We apologise to all our customers who have made bookings but hopefully they will understand that we all have to make sacrifices if we are to get the COVID-19 virus under control and protect the most vulnerable in our district.”Mr Hussain has been praised for his decision by Bradford Council 's director for public health, Sarah Muckle.She said: “The restaurant had good Covid-19 safety measures in place to protect customers and we agree with their decision.  We are extremely grateful to the Akbar’s team for the way they have worked with us on this and for the responsible, professional, proactive action they have taken.

“We have no reason to believe customers were at risk because the restaurant’s front of house COVID-19 safety measures are very robust.

“It’s never an easy decision to close a business but this kind of leadership is exactly what we will need if we are to get on top of small outbreaks and stop the virus spreading into our communities.”Bookings are still being taken for when Akbar’s re-opens for business on Friday, September 4.