NHS Tayside steps in as 19 covid cases linked to Brechin pig factory

An Incident Management Team has been set up

Quality Pork factory
Author: Callum ClarkPublished 22nd Jan 2021
Last updated 22nd Jan 2021

NHS Tayside's now involved in an operation to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases at a Brechin pig factory.

19 positive results are connected to Quality Pork Processors.

Associate Director of Public Health, Dr Ellie Hothersall, said “Nineteen cases of COVID-19 connected to the Quality Pork Processors in Brechin have been identified.

“The processing factory is working closely with NHS Tayside’s Public Health team, Food Standards Scotland and Angus Council Environmental Health Team and all arrangements for contact tracing and self-isolation are in place.

“The multi-agency Incident Management Team (IMT) will continue to keep the situation under close review.”

One of the 19 workers to test positive believes production at the factory ceased this morning.

"Since Monday night the place has been rife with coronavirus. 10 people were off on Tuesday, I've also been off since then, I've felt terrible," they said.

"There's no smoke coming out of the factory this morning, so there's definitely no production. Our department is the coldest part of the plant, we're talking around two degrees Celsius.

"There has been a lot of adhering to social distancing. There are at least a hundred hand sanitizers there, there's CCTV in place to make sure people wash their hands. If you get caught not washing you get disciplined."

The company did not respond to our request for comment.

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