MORNING SERIAL
THERE was a perception that the north of Wales was an afterthought, especially when it emerged that it was taking up to 90 hours to return tests (the target was between 24-48 hours) with many tests still having to be sent to Cardiff for analysis. As anyone who has ever travelled from the north to the south of Wales will tell you, it is one of the most frustratingly slow drives a person can make (though stunningly beautiful if you take the right route #A470trumpsM5).
At this point I interviewed Public Health Wales consultant in communicable disease control, Graham Brown. He told me that the reason for the increase in cases was simply that they were conducting more tests in the area.
He said: “When you go looking for Covid-19, you find Covid-19.”
Apart from the scary realisation that despite a stabilisation and drop in Wales-wide deaths there remained Covid-19 community transmission in every part of the country, I wondered why there had suddenly been a sudden focus on testing in the north? Well look no further than your fridge for that one.
June saw two separate outbreaks in meat-processing plants in north Wales, one at the 2 Sisters factory in Llangefni, Anglesey, and the other at Rowan Foods on Wrexham Industrial Estate. By August there were more than 300 cases identified at Rowan Foods following extensive testing of staff and tracing of their close contacts.
It is no coincidence that the two outbreaks occurred in similar facilities. Throughout the early months of the epidemic there had been several outbreaks in slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants across Europe. In Germany’s North RhineWestphalia more than 1,500 of 7,000 workers tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in 640 000 residents being put back into lockdown. These facilities were to the virus what St Mary Street is to hen and stag parties – a perfect breeding ground.
A combination of lower temperatures, very high or very low relative humidity and metallic surfaces on which the virus can survive a long time are all perfect for the coronavirus.
Lockdown Wales by Will Hayward £9.99 www.serenbooks.com/ productdisplay/lockdown-wales ISBN 9781781726013