The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Brechin pig plant to reopen following outbreak
Processing operations have resumed at the Angus pig abattoir closed for a fortnight by a coronavirus outbreak.
More than 40 staff connected to the Quality Pork Processors (QPP) plan in Brechin tested positive for Covid-19.
The QPP board took the decision to temporarily halt operations at the Montrose Road slaughterhouse on January 23.
A multi-agency incident management team (IMT) was subsequently put in place.
Plant operators said the full site has undergone a deep clean and staff must give a negative coronavirus test before returning to work.
A spokesperson said: “QPP has been working closely with NHS Tayside IMT throughout this time and the site has undergone a full deep clean prior to opening, including all office spaces, canteens and changing areas.
“All staff have been asked to self-isolate in line with government guidelines since operations at the site were suspended and any who have received a positive test result during this period will continue to self-isolate.
“All staff will be required to demonstrate a negative Covid-19 test result prior to returning to work.”
QPP is a subsidiary company of Quality Pork Limited, which was formed in 2014 through a close collaboration between Scottish Pig Producers, Scotlean and Pilgrim’s UK, formerly Tulip Ltd.
The site is Scotland’s only major pig processing plant.
Andy Mcgowan of Scottish Pig Producers said: “We welcome the reopening of the Brechin site, which is such a vital facility for the local agricultural economy.”
Arrangements are being made for asymptomatic testing of school and nursery staff and those secondary pupils returning part-time.
Regular testing of staff and senior pupils was announced by the Scottish Government when it outlined the first phase of the return to school later this month.
Staff working in schools and senior phase pupils returning for practical coursework will be offered at-home testing twice a week.
Local authorities are preparing for the tests ahead of next Tuesday’s confirmation from the government that the return on February 22 will go ahead.
If sufficient progress is made in tackling coronavirus some senior phase secondary schools who need to do practical coursework will return to school part-time and nursery children and P1 to P3 pupils full-time.
In Dundee, letters and consent forms about asymptomatic coronavirus tests are being sent to families of secondary pupils who may be returning.
Schools will also tell them how they can take part and pick up lateral flow device test kits.
Staff still working in nursery, primary and secondary schools, open since the start of term for vulnerable children and children of key workers, are also being contacted about the scheme.
While testing is voluntary, Dundee City Council children and families convener Stewart Hunter encouraged staff and senior pupils to take part.
He said: “Tests are a way to keep our schools as safe as possible and to reduce risks.
“I would ask all staff and families of senior pupils to look out for these letters and to take action as quickly as possible.
“I must also highlight that a negative test does not mean that we can drop our guard in any way against coronavirus.
“I would urge everyone to stick with the Facts guidance to help us drive down the number of cases further.”
Staff and pupils will be given details about how often to take the tests and how to long their results online.
A spokesman for Angus Council said: “We will be sharing full information with those directly affected nearer the time, through our usual school communication channels”
“
Tests are a way to keep our schools as safe as possible
ADundee family have been fighting for months to get hundreds of pounds refunded after their holiday was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In January 2020, Greig and Kimberly Macphail, who works as a nurse, booked a seven day all-inclusive holiday to Majorca with Teletext Holidays with their two daughters Chloe, 14, and Amber, 12.
They were due to fly off in October but because of the coronavirus outbreak the holiday was cancelled.
But dad Greig says the family is still waiting for a £1,280 refund from Teletext Holidays.
This comes after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week said it had launched an investigation into the company after hundreds of people complained about not getting refunds for their cancelled package holidays.
Greig said: “We have been fighting with Teletext Holidays after we booked a package holiday with them in January last year.
“Normally we go away to my mum’s villa but the kids saw something on TV and said they wanted to go to a hotel with a buffet and waterslides instead.
“We had to contact Teletext Holidays after my wife found out on Facebook the hotel we were meant to be staying in closed down, but we were told the holiday was still going ahead and the flights were still running.
“But Ryanair cancelled the flights and refunded Teletext Holidays, and the hotel and transfer company all said it was cancelled too.
“We paid £1,600 including a £200 deposit on the credit card, which I was able to get back through a charge back, but officially we are still due £1,280 from Teletext Holidays.
“I am a car salesman and my salary took a massive nosedive and I am down about £1,000 a month now in wages, so that money would be nice to have.”
Greig said initially Teletext Holidays tried to persuade the family to change their holiday to another destination or get the money refunded as a voucher rather than cash.
He added: “Initially they said if they couldn’t send us to Spain they would send us to Turkey, but because different countries were closing all the time we said ‘no, give us the money back’.
“I didn’t want to go somewhere like Turkey and then find out everything was shutting down and we would have to quarantine, because I would not get paid for that.
“We can think about holidays another time but they kept trying to give us a voucher.
“We were due to travel on October 12 and now it is the middle of February, we just want our money back.
“We did end up going away in our caravan, but there is no way I would book with Teletext Holidays again, it has put me off booking with any travel company again.”
A spokeswoman for the
CMA said the investigation was launched under consumer protection law after receiving hundreds of complaints that people were not receiving refunds for their package holidays cancelled due to coronavirus.
The CMA is now engaging with Teletext Holidays to gather evidence on whether the company has broken consumer protection law.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “We understand that the pandemic is presenting challenges for travel businesses, but it is important that the interests of consumers are properly protected and that businesses comply with the law.
“We’ll be engaging with Teletext to establish whether the law has been broken and will take further action if necessary.”
Teletext Holidays was approached for a comment.
“
There’s no way I would book with Teletext again