Health chief defends slow closures of meat plants
THE acting health chief has defended the slow closure of meat plants at the centre of Covid outbreaks amid a furious backlash.
Offaly meat processing plant Carroll Cuisine announced yesterday afternoon that it was suspending operations amid efforts to control the recent spike in cases in the Midlands.
Carroll Cuisine in Tullamore initially opened yesterday morning. However, it soon faced increasing calls to halt production.
Minister of State Seán Fleming, a TD for Laois-Offaly, urged the company to close voluntarily, noting that the state could intervene to order its closure.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar had also highlighted that the HSE could move to impose a closure order.
Nine of the plant’s 330 employees tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Those tests were carried out following the first diagnosed case of coronavirus among the workforce on July 31.
‘Assessments are based on evidence’
However, last night acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the country could not just close down all high-risk environments such as airports or meat plants as people continue to live with the virus threat. ‘We have to be guided by the experts on the ground who have the level of knowledge and expertise to make assessments there,’ he said.
‘We have to make assessments based on evidence. We have to continue as safely as we can.’
Concerns were raised over meat plant employees being tested and still going to work before receiving the results of their tests.
However, speaking at the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing last night, Dr Siobhán Ní Bhriain explained that serial testing was carried out.
She said: ‘When we do a serial testing programme that’s different to testing somebody who’s been contact-traced or a close contact.
‘If you’re doing serial testing... you’re not going to keep everybody home pending the result of that test unless they’re symptomatic or a close contact. It’s about risk assessing each situation and being aware of the impact on employees, the employers, and the general good of society.’
Carroll Cuisine has become the fourth affected plant to close operations in the three-county area covered by the localised infection control steps.
In a statement yesterday, Kieran Carolan, chief executive of Carroll Cuisine, said the plant would take a break in operations pending the results of further testing of staff conducted on Sunday.
‘The health, safety and wellbeing of all our people and our wider communities is an absolute priority for us at all times,’ he said.
‘We have been working closely with the HSE and, while positive case levels among our staff are low, we believe that the best approach is to take this break in operations over the days ahead until we can evaluate the results of comprehensive tests which were undertaken for our staff on a precautionary basis yesterday in co-operation with the HSE.’
The plant boss said he backed a proposal for a recurring 14-day testing regime in meat plants.
He added that employees would continue to be paid during the suspension of operations.