Staff members at Sunderland bar Ttonic test positive for coronavirus

The popular venue on Vine Place closed on Friday, September 4, as a ‘precautionary measure’ after two staff members tested positive for coronavirus.

Ttonic has not confirmed when it will reopen but said that the temporary closure is in an effort to isolate any further potential risks to the public and its employees.

It comes after a number of venues in the city closed temporarily this week following cases of Covid-19.

In a statement on its Facebook page on Saturday, September 5, Ttonic confirmed that that there are two known isolated cases at this stage.

The business said: "Ttonic has joined a fast-growing list of businesses and pubs throughout the UK that have announced a temporary closure effective from yesterday.

“We made the decision as a precautionary measure against the ongoing risk posed to staff and customers by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are proud of our staff and management who have taken every step to keep our customers safe.

"We have not taken this decision lightly but it has been clear from the start of these unprecedented times that we can only continue to operate whilst we are absolutely sure it is safe to do so.

“We have the correct procedures in place to be able to act on information and make decisions based on our risk assessments.

"We have had two confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst our staff and are acting with a duty of care for all by closing temporarily until we can collect further information about the further potential risks that this could have.

“This is a temporary closure and two known isolated cases at this stage.”

Ttonic stressed the decision to close was made in consultation with PHE and the Environmental Health and not due to poor cleaning, policies and procedures or a reflection on the management.

The venue said that it is working with Public Health England and the local authorities on the correct steps moving forward to reopen once it is safe to do so.

The NHS Test and Trace system will be in contact with any affected customers.

A Ttonic spokesman added: "We are in the process of consulting all our affected staff and establishing who is fit and healthy to be able to return to work.

“We already have a very detailed and thorough enhanced cleaning regime in place including sanitising practices that is in operation 24 hours a day but will explore further procedures if this is required.”

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.