THE York hotel at the centre of the first coronavirus cases in the UK is said to have been forced to lay off several members of staff - while other workers have been put on reduced hours.

Employees at the Staycity hotel, next to the Barbican, have contacted The Press to say that staff have been let go, and their hours have been reduced significantly due to loss in business because of the coronavirus outbreak.

One employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, claimed that two people were made redundant on Thursday, and a further five on Friday.

Staycity confirmed that as a result of the virus outbreak, the company has had to lay off a number of staff members at "unit level" and at the company’s Dublin-based call centre.

However, it was not able to say how many staff had been made redundant and from which sites.

Staycity CEO Tom Walsh said: “It is with acute personal regret that these measures are necessary and that we are left with no choice but to temporarily lay off members of our valued team until bookings recover. We are confident that sharp and immediate business protection measures taken now will enable the company to bounce back when the coronavirus crisis passes and business returns to more normal levels.

“We have established a task force to seek out alternative temporary employment for our colleagues and we sincerely hope that once the recovery starts they will return to work alongside us to continue to build on what we have already achieved together.”

The employee told The Press that members of staff were very stressed, and were worried about how they would pay their bills.

MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, said: “It is vital that employers raise concerns with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before thinking about cutting staff hours and pay.

"The Government promised to support businesses and it is essential that they are held to account on this commitment.

“If businesses face challenges, they should also contact me as their MP and I will also make representation on their behalf.”

A letter to staff from the hotel, which has been seen by The Press, said: “Unfortunately, the economic conditions in the industry and the spread of the coronavirus has resulted in an extreme loss in business.

“As we explained at the meeting, the company intends that the short time working will take effect from Monday until further notice. Although we are unable to give you a definite end date at this stage, because it depends on several external factors, we will keep the position under constant review and continue to keep you updated."

It added: “During the period of your short time working, your employment will continue but you will not receive your normal pay on workless days on which you do no work for the company because of the short time working.”

The York Staycity hotel, in Paragon Street, hit national headlines at the end of January when it was confirmed that two of its guests had become the first diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the UK.