“Pingdemic” Hits UK Petrol Stations
The “pingdemic”, where thousands of UK citizens are having to self-isolate due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, is causing staff shortages, supply issues, and even closures at some petrol stations across the country.
As increasing numbers of people are receiving alerts to stay at home by the NHS covid-19 app after coming into contact with an infected person, the petrol industry is calling for vaccinated workers to be exempt from self-isolation rules to avoid further disruption and profit losses.
Across England and Wales, some 600,000 people were instructed to self-isolate last week as the Delta variant of the virus continues to tear through the country. This has impacted countless businesses across several sectors, from hospitality, to car manufacturers, to food production, and most recently petrol stations.
BP, which already reported losses of $5.7 billion during the UK’s third lockdown, has said it is experiencing fuel supply issues due to a shortage of drivers across the entire industry. This has led to a handful of BP’s UK sites having to temporarily close.
