Cornwall's Headland Hotel facing 'tougher summer than last year' due to 'pingdemic'

The Director of the Headland Hotel in Newquay says constant 'pings' from the covid app is making this summer tougher than the last.

More than 70,000 people across the region were pinged by the app and told to self-isolate last week, which is the highest number to date.

At the Cornish hotel, director Veryan Palmer says staff are being pinged in the middle of shifts meaning they have to leave the building immediately.

Out of the 227 staff the Headland employs there was a point where 51 had been pinged. Right now the number stands at 11.

As a result, bedrooms have been closed, cottages have remained unsold and one out of three restaurants are open on Sunday.

She says it doesn't seem fair that they can't be trusted to test themselves as an industry. 

"We have yet to have a single member of staff who has been pinged through the app who has then tested positive whilst they are in isolation on their return to work," she told ITV News.

"That's quite challenging for us as a business when you wonder why they have to keep doing it. But we need to keep everyone safe so we are asking people to continue to isolate.

"It's a bit like some of us are not trusted to be able to tests themselves yet we've all been taking lateral flow tests here at the Headland religiously twice if not more than that a week."

The news comes as earlier today July 22 industry bosses said shops are struggling to keep shelves stocked, while others may be forced to close amid employee shortages.

It's in connection with the number of people getting pinged by the app.