Coronavirus outbreak at Bodmin meat factory after staff test positive
Staff at a meat factory in Bodmin are self-isolating following a coronavirus outbreak.
Public Health England and Cornwall Council have said there are "a number of" confirmed Covid-19 cases at the Kepak Group meat processing factory.
Additional testing of employees will take place this week in a bid to try and contain the virus.
A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "These measures are preventative and will provide vital data to help stop the spread of the virus.
"This approach has worked well in other similar outbreaks in food processing sites."
Rachel Wigglesworth, Cornwall Council’s Director of Public Health, added: "Employees who need to isolate have already been excluded from work and given support to isolate.
“We have been discussing their ongoing measures to ensure it is safe for staff to attend work as normal.
"However, if anyone does develop symptoms they should self-isolate straight away.”
A spokesperson for Kepak Group said staff members who are self-isolating are being given "advice and support".
The spokesperson added the company is working "closely" with Public Health teams to ensure contacts of affected staff are identified.
"The Group is working tirelessly to protect its staff as well as ensuring the continuity of secure food supply during this pandemic," the spokesperson explained.
"All staff members returning to work are following the company’s Covid-19 return to work guidelines."
In September and October 2020, more than 170 people tested positive for coronavirus at another meat processing plant in Cornwall.
Most of the cases at the Pilgrim's Pride food factory in Pool, near Redruth, were asymptomatic.
An alert to the national test and trace service from a single member of staff led to 500 colleagues at the plant being tested.
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