The National Shared Services Office (NSSO) in Tullamore closed until further notice last week, following the confirmation of two separate cases of Covid-19.

On Sunday 6^th September the NSSO received confirmation of a positive Covid-19 case. As a precaution, the office was immediately closed for two days (Monday 7^th and Tuesday 8^th) for a full deep clean and to commence contact-tracing in order to identify and phone close contacts of the affected employee.

A staff memo confirmed that the HSE had contacted the relevant close contacts and these were advised to stay at home.

A second, separate, confirmed case of Covid-19 was identified at the same office on Tuesday (8^th September). Staff were contacted to advise them the office would remain closed, and a separate process of contact-tracing got underway.

In a message to staff NSSO chief executive Hilary Murphy Fagan said: “Our staff remain the number one priority throughout this event, and as such the building in Tullamore will continue to remain closed until further notice.” NSSO staff will continue to work from home.

Fórsa assistant general secretary Una Faulkner liaised with the local union branch following a media report about the closure: “This has been a challenging couple of weeks for everyone working at the Tullamore office, and a reminder of the necessity for strict adherence to the back-to-work protocols and public health advice.

“Local management responded quickly to developments and kept staff informed throughout via text messages. This appears to have been very effective,” she said.

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