Heathrow passengers were looking at queues of up to two-and-a-half hours as Terminal 5 was forced to deal with a staff shortage due to possible COVID exposure.
Up to 120 staff were told to stay home and isolate by NHS Track and Trace in what has been dubbed a ‘pingdemic.’
https://twitter.com/KTWylie/status/1414525340794462212
Passengers took to social media to complain about the ‘total chaos’ at the airport.
It was initially unclear why staff hadn’t shown up for work, with some employees claiming that security staff had not shown up because of last night’s Euros football final.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We’re currently experiencing some passenger congestion in Terminal 5 departures.
“Our teams are working hard to get passengers away on their journeys and we hope to have the congestion cleared as quickly as possible. Passengers are reminded that face coverings are mandatory inside the airport.”
It was later confirmed that the staff shortages were down to staff being pinged by the track-and-trace app.
