Coronavirus: Coupar Angus factory set to reopen next week
A food processing plant in Coupar Angus that was closed due to a cluster of Covid-19 cases has been given the go-ahead to reopen next week.
In the past 24 hours, the number of positive cases linked to the 2 Sisters factory has risen by 11 to 188. Health officials said 164 workers at the chicken factory had now tested positive, along with 24 contacts. They confirmed that the plant was set to reopen next Monday following a two-week closure. It is understood staff will be given training before the factory restarts fully on Tuesday. The decision was made after risk assessments were carried out by the Health and Safety Executive, Food Standards Scotland and Environmental Health. Extra steps have also been taken to ensure workers are physically distanced and further hygiene measures have been put in place. However, indoor visiting in the area's care homes remains suspended until at least next Friday (4 September). This will be reviewed in the middle of next week. The plant employs 1,200 workers, including approximately 300 agency staff. All workers and their household contacts must continue to self-isolate and must not leave their homes, unless it is an emergency, until 31 August, even if they have a negative result. In a statement, the company said: "Whilst it is important to ensure our measures on site are robust and working, we believe it is also critically important for our people to understand their obligations away from the factory in the local community, which our initial analysis suggests has played a significant role in the transmission of the virus." The statement said staff would receive training and best practice guides on issues ranging from transport arrangements, conduct in the community, to keeping Covid-safe in a shared household. "We expect each and every colleague to take personal responsibility for their own behaviours outside of work," it added. Self-isolation guidance Dr Emma Fletcher, associate director of public health and chairwoman of the Incident management Team (IMT) said, "The IMT considered the risk assessments and were satisfied that the factory should be able to reopen from Monday, 31 August. "The majority of staff will be able to return from Monday, August 31. However, those who have had positive tests themselves, or those who live with a positive case, must follow the specific self-isolation guidance they have been given and not return to work until their period of isolation is over." All of the non-agency workers at the factory are receiving full pay while the plant is closed. Support, including food parcels, is being offered to all workers by councils in Perth and Kinross, Dundee, and Angus.