A WILLITON pub re-opened on Wednesday after a two-day shutdown due to Covid-19. The Railway Inn, in Long Street, closed on Monday after a customer who had visited the pub on Saturday rang to inform the owners she had tested positive for the disease.

The pub is run by landlady Lisa Murphy and her partner Mathew Burns. Mr Burns told the Free Press there had been minimal risk to other members of the public as the customer in question had been outside 99 per cent of the time.

“She works in an industry where they are constantly tested,” he said. “She immediately went into isolation and the ‘track and trace’ procedure initiated. We, of course, had the contact details of all our customers.

“We contacted Public Health England straight away but rather than wait for their advice, which can take up to 24 hours, we decided to close temporarily ourselves.”

As soon as news of the incident became public, the pub received many messages of support from customers and friends. Their comments were very much appreciated,” said Mr Burns.

During the closure, the premises underwent several deep-cleans and this prompt action meant Public Health England soon gave the pub a clean bill of health: “They praised us for carrying out all the procedures so quickly and said ‘You’re fine’.”

Mr Burns said his establishment constantly update their risk assessments and take all necessary precautions: “It’s unfortunate but this could become a common thing and affect any business, not just pubs,” he said.

“But we are confident that people will remain perfectly safe if they act sensibly and responsibly and follow the guidelines, particularly on social distancing.”

As a further precaution, the Railway Inn’s website also states that anyone waiting for the result of a Covid-19 test must not enter the premises until the result has come through.