38 members of staff test positive for coronavirus at food factory in Wrexham
A food factory in Wrexham has been hit by coronavirus after 38 workers tested positive.
It is the second factory to report an outbreak of cases today, after a factory on Anglesey announced it had 58 confirmed cases of coronavirus at its site.
Rowan Foods on Wrexham Industrial Estate is run by Oscar Mayer and the company has since made a statement, confirming they had made significant changes following the test results.
"The site has 38 staff absent due to testing positive for COVID 19, this is across our direct and agency workforce which totals 1500," the statement continued.
Oscar Mayer confirmed that the company had been working with Public Health Wales to implement a track and trace system for the virus to protect the workforce. Any member of staff who has tested positive for the virus has been told to isolate for at least seven days.
"As you would expect we have made significant operational changes at the site to maintain social distancing wherever practically possible, including various mitigations such as screens and visors where this is not always possible" the statement said.
"All these changes have been made in conjunction with advice bythe regional Environmental Health Officer. These measures have limited the impact on our teams."
Despite the number of cases at the site, Oscar Mayer stressed that it falls in line with an increase in the numbers in Wrexham generally and not solely at the facility.
"Whilst we are seeing a number of cases on site, Public Health Wales support our view that there is no clear evidence to suggest that there is a spread of the virus within the site, we are seeing a reflection on site of the increases in cases within the locality," Oscar Mayer said.
"We will continue to do all we can to remain vigilant and to keep our colleagues and families safe."
Earlier today, Health Minister Vaughan Gething spoke about the incident at the factory in Anglesey, stating that the Welsh Government was managing the outbreak while stressing the importance of social distancing.