The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Military called to factory to test full workforce
Ten positive cases confirmed in outbreak at 2 Sisters plant – figures expected to rise
The military has set up a mobile testing unit at a Perthshire chicken factory following an outbreak of coronavirus.
By yesterday there had been 10 positive cases linked to the 2 Sisters plant in Coupar Angus and another five under investigation, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she expected that figure to rise.
She described the situation as a “complex and potentially significant cluster” and said she could not rule out imposing a local lockdown.
The testing site, in a marquee in the grounds, was put in place to check all 900 employees.
The Courier revealed on Monday that the outbreak was started by a manager at the George Street plant, who contracted the virus from a close relative.
The factory was closed on Monday morning and is expected to remain shut for some time. Workers have been told to stay at home and self-isolate until August 31.
At her daily briefing yesterday, when the total number of confirmed cases was still nine, Ms Sturgeon said: “I will be very surprised – albeit pleasantly – if we don’t see that number rise in the days ahead.
“Seven of the cases so far are employees of the factory and two are people in the wider community. Contact tracing is ongoing.”
She said: “This is a complex and potentially significant cluster.
“In addition to the over-riding public health concern relating to the outbreak, the closure of the plant potentially, of course, has an economic impact.
“We also need to consider possible animal welfare issues. The animals which would have been sent to the factory in the next few days can’t currently be sent there, so for all of these reasons we are monitoring all aspects of this situation very carefully and closely.”
Asked it the case could lead to a local lockdown, Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m going to be very cautious about speculating here. We don’t rule anything out whenever we’re faced with clusters.
“If we can’t keep a cluster under control purely through test-and-protect then additional measures always have to be possible.”
No one at the factory was available for comment yesterday. A spokesman earlier this week said: “Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of all colleagues, and we will be reviewing the situation closely in partnership with the relevant regional and national Scottish Covid-19 taskforces before we restart production.”