Tighter restrictions imposed on Coupar Angus factory workers and their families

Anyone living in a household with a worker from a COVID-19 hit factory in Coupar Angus has been told to self isolate until next Monday 31st August.

The urgent new guidance also includes children and anyone who's had a negative test.

Dr Emma Fletcher, Associate Director of Public Health for NHS Tayside, said, “This is a critical change to our advice this evening. We are putting in place this extra measure to help prevent further spread of the infection in the community.

“A large proportion of the workforce has already come forward for testing which is excellent but we would strongly encourage all workers who have not yet been tested to take up this offer, even if they don’t have any symptoms. "

That's as people living on the same street as the 2 Sisters factory claim "hundreds" of employees broke social distancing rules before the outbreak, which has now seen 43 confirmed cases of COVID-19

Jim, who lives within a hundred metres of the plant, said: "It had to happen, because there was no social distancing around the factory, they never wore a mask outside the factory."

Heather Clark's flat overlooks the plant, she said: "We've witnessed quite a lot with the factory workers not keeping their distance when they're out here and not wearing masks.

Heather also told MFR News that when she went into the local shop workers wouldn't be wearing masks and would be in groups of more than eight.

A spokesman for the site said: “We are a responsible business who put all colleagues’ safety as a number one priority. As evidence of this, we’re the only business in the UK to put people first by volunteering to close our site, while there are others with positive cases in Scotland that still remain open.

"In March, we put in a robust safety framework at the site, its effectiveness underlined by the fact we didn’t record a single positive case for six months, again unlike others elsewhere in Scotland.

"Our measures will be refined and reviewed yet again before we reopen our facility, and of course this is an environment we will be always be able to manage and fully control.

"However, in the outside world, it is more challenging, but we would expect all colleagues to take personal responsibility for their own behaviours and as good citizens respect the guidance in relation to mask wearing and social distancing accordingly.”

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