Tim Potter Family Butchers in Fore Street, Wellington, was back trading again on Tuesday after a Covid-19 scare.

The town’s popular and award-winning shop was forced to temporarily close last Saturday afternoon.

In a statement on Monday Tim Potter said: “We have been informed that a person working at the shop on Thursday last week has tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.

“We respect their right to privacy – therefore, we will not be confirming any personal details and wish them a speedy recovery.”

The shop has now reported: “Since hearing this news, we have carried out a full risk assessment and communicated with Somerset County Council public health team and Covid leads to identify if there had been any possibility of the virus being spread to any other staff members or the public, and whether it would be possible to re-open the shop with strict Covid-secure measures in place.

“Those who may have come into contact with the confirmed Covid case, as well as the team member affected, will be self-isolating for the recommended timeframes.

“As a result of our own internal investigations and after communicating with Somerset County Council, we are now in a position to re-open the shop tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 7am, as all areas have been deep cleaned and any customer entering the shop will be requested to wear a mask and use hand sanitiser prior to entry.

“All staff will also wear face masks as heightened measures, despite having had perspex screens installed on all counters in the shop. There will only be two customers permitted in the shop at any one time.

“We will continue to remain vigilant and take decisive action if necessary, as the safety of all of our customers, staff members and suppliers is paramount.”

Tim thanked staff and authorities and meat industry organisations who, from the beginning of the pandemic, have worked ‘tirelessly’ to follow all the safety guidelines to keep everyone as safe as possible ‘in these challenging times’.