'No evidence' that food factory coronavirus outbreaks has spread to community
There is no evidence that outbreaks of coronavirus at two food factories has spread to the wider community, the health minister said today.
The first outbreak is centred on the 2 Sisters plant on Anglesey, where there have been 175 confirmed cases so far - the majority of them staff members. The factory has been closed.
The second concerns [**Rowan Foods in Wrexham**](http://38 workers test positive for coronavirus at food factory in Wrexham), where there have been 70 confirmed cases to date. At the moment, the factory remains open.
In addition, 34 cases have been confirmed since April at the Kepak factory in Merthyr Tydfil, where six people are currently off sick with the virus.
People working in all of the plants are being tested, with tracers contacting anyone they have been in close proximity with.
Vaughan Gething was leading the Welsh Government's daily coronavirus briefing, which focused on the "developing" situation in north Wales.
He said: "At the moment, there is no evidence of wider community transmission beyond these plants.
"All cases are directly linked to people working in these factories. The cases have been identified through our Test, Trace, Protect system, which shows it is working properly."
The Welsh Government has not ruled out strict local lockdowns in the outbreak areas.
Watch the full daily briefing here:
There have been a number of outbreaks in meat and food processing plants around the world, including the US, Canada and Germany.
There are currently five outbreaks in meat processing plants in England.
It is understood coronavirus thrives in cold, damp indoor places with smooth surfaces, which are typical of such plants.
But the health minister said there is no evidence that coronavirus survives on food.
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