POPULAR tea room on High Street forced to close for the week as several members of staff are "pinged".

Mrs Salisbury's Famous Tea Rooms on Maldon High Street are closed until Saturday at least as members of staff are required to self-isolate.

Over the past weekend the tea rooms were operating at reduced capacity due to several members of staff being made to self-isolate from NHS Test & Trace.

Now the popular tea room will be closed until the weekend as they do not have the capacity to be open.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: SAD NEWS: The tea rooms are closed until Saturday at least.SAD NEWS: The tea rooms are closed until Saturday at least.

The team said on their Facebook page: "Naturally we are absolutely gutted about this decision but we must do what’s best for the health of our staff and customers."

All reservations for the week are being contacted by staff to reschedule or arrange a refund on any deposits.

Their food and drink truck at Promenade Park will still be open as it is run by a separate team so customers can get their tea fix there in the meantime.

Mrs Sailsbury's Famous Tea Rooms is one of many across Essex and the rest of the country who are being affected by what is being dubbed the "pingdemic".

Latest figures have shown more than 500,000 people in England and Wales were notified by the NHS app to self-isolate in the week up to July 1.

And trade group UKHospitality warned MPs last week that about “a fifth” of workers in the sector were self-isolating as a result of being “pinged” by the app.

Among the businesses affected pub giant Greene King has been forced to shut 33 pubs in the past week after staff were told to isolate by the NHS Test & Trace app.

Growing concerns have led businesses to press for the app to be overhauled and made less sensitive.

Essex County Council's director for public health Dr Mike Gogarty is advising residents across the county to remain cautious as we move forward in the final step of the Government's roadmap out of the pandemic.