Leamington engineering firm employee expresses fear over having to work among 70 people despite Covid-19 lockdown

An employee at Ricardo's Midlands Technical Centre in Radford Road has contacted the Courier and asked to remain anonymous.

He said: "Ricardo is still open.

"I work there making gears for racing cars and I am so surprised we are still working as I don't think this is a key role.

"I am worried about my health and my family's too."

"I can't see my daughter and grandson but can work with 70 people from different families.

"How can this be right?"

Ricardo has a lengthy statement on its website regarding its approach to operations during the Coronavirus pandemic.

It says: "With the continued spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Ricardo’s highest priority is in protecting the health and wellbeing of employees, customers and other commercial partners.

"We aim to help limit the spread of the virus within the communities we serve and where our employees live. In every region Ricardo operates we are asking staff to abide with the advice of national and local governments and health authorities.

"At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that our products and services to our global customer base continue with the minimum possible interruption.

"To maximize ongoing operational flexibility and provide close to business-as-usual delivery while minimizing health risk, we are following a ‘digital first’ strategy, aided by an increased use of collaborative, cloud-based tools and with an emphasis on online conferencing and remote working instead of face-to-face meetings and business travel.

"Where we manufacture and test, we are working with our teams to keep them safe and productive.

"This is a practice we applied successfully in our Asia offices after the outbreak was first discovered, and we are fully equipped to adopt this approach in other territories if necessary.

"We are confident the measures we are taking will allow us to continue to deliver our products and services to customers in a safe and efficient manner.

"We remain open for business, committed to be responsive and maintain our passion to serve our clients."