Walkers confirms 28 workers at its Leicester crisp factory have tested positive for coronavirus

  • Walkers has confirmed 28 positive cases of Covid-19 at its factory in Leicester 
  • The firm employs 1,400 people across the site in the Beaumont Leys area 
  • Said it had seen 'steady increase' in the number of confirmed cases during June
Walkers has today confirmed 28 positive cases of Covid-19 at its crisp factory in Leicester.
The firm, which employs 1,400 people across the site in the Beaumont Leys area of the city, said it had seen a 'steady increase' in the number of confirmed cases during June.
Walkers claimed its track and trace procedure indicated the transmission of the virus was 'not in our factory'.
The company claims the rise 'coincides with the roll-out and uptake of testing' in Leicester.
This comes after Leicester became the first UK city to be plunged back into lockdown on Monday night, after 944 new cases were identified in the last two weeks.
The firm, which employs 1,400 people across the site in the Beaumont Leys area of the city, said it had seen a 'steady increase' in the number of confirmed cases during June
Walkers claimed its track and trace procedure indicated the transmission of the virus was 'not in our factory'. The company claims the rise 'coincides with the roll-out and uptake of testing' in Leicester
Walkers claimed its track and trace procedure indicated the transmission of the virus was 'not in our factory'. The company claims the rise 'coincides with the roll-out and uptake of testing' in Leicester
A spokesperson said: 'We have shared our data and analysis with the health authorities and they support the view that our situation reflects transmission in the community and we do not have a transmission issue on site.
'In light of the recent increase in cases in Leicester, we have been proactively reinforcing the importance of continued vigilance on site.'
The company added employees with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 were self-isolating on full pay.
A number of other food processing plants in Leicester have had confirmed cases of the infection, including Samworth Brothers and Pladis, which makes biscuits for McVities. 
As Leicester becomes the first area in Britain to be subject to local lockdown measures:  
  • All non-essential shops will close, with law to be rushed through to underpin the new restrictions, after 800-plus cases were recorded in Leicester since mid-June and the area accounted for around 10 per cent of all positive tests in the UK over the past week;
  • Schools will close from Thursday and will not reopen until next term, amid fears an unusually high incidence in children is driving the spread. They will stay open for vulnerable children and offspring of key workers;
  • People are advised to avoid all but essential travel to, from, and within Leicester and should 'stay at home as much as you can', but there is no formal travel ban at this stage;
  • Easing of lockdown in England on Saturday will not apply in Leicester, meaning pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas will stay shut;
  • Shielding measures will not be loosened in the city on 6 July, unlike the rest of England where the most clinically-vulnerable will be able to spend more time outside.
Pictured: The lockdown zone in Leicester, which has left some Britons in lockdown while their neighbours are not
The company said employees with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 were self-isolating on full pay
The company said employees with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 were self-isolating on full pay
Today, Boris Johnson was accused of letting coronavirus run wild in Leicester during a 'lost week'. 
In brutal clashes at PMQs, Mr Johnson furiously denied failing to share crucial data on infections with the authorities in the city.
But Labour leader Keir Starmer accused him of being 'slow to act' and said local officials were left believing there were only 80 positive tests per week, when the real figure was more than 940.
Mr Johnson insisted the 'Pillar Two' testing data, which covers screening of the general population carried out in commercial labs, was shared.  
Police have since pledged to stop and fine drivers trying to flee Leicester for drinking or shopping after the city was put under a fresh lockdown. 
Officers will carry out spot checks on vehicles leaving locked-down Leicester and could turn them around if their journey is not essential, it was revealed today, as confusion reigned because some areas in the city limits are in lockdown while neighbours are not.
Data shows how Leicester's coronavirus outbreak has grown over time. The numbers compiled for England only include pillar one swab tests, which officials say are only given to patients with a medical need or key workers
Data shows how Leicester's coronavirus outbreak has grown over time. The numbers compiled for England only include pillar one swab tests, which officials say are only given to patients with a medical need or key workers
Leicestershire Police is also threatening £100 fines amid growing concerns that residents may flee for the county's open pubs, hair salons or other attractions while patrols will also break up mass gatherings in the city after they were partially blamed for a spike in coronavirus cases in June.
Patrols could also be increased in public spaces to enforce the guidelines but road blocks are considered over the top, the Times reported, as police in Leicestershire criticised the 'drip-feeding' of information from Whitehall to agencies on the ground and Matt Hancock insisted that the closure of shops would be enforced by law but there would be no travel ban.
Willy Bach, police and crime commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, criticised the lockdown process. 'We were not even provided with a map of the [lockdown] area until well after the announcement. I have a great deal of sympathy with the agencies charged with delivery. They needed clarity from the start, and I am astonished that it is being drip-fed as the day progresses,' he said.
Officers will stop cars, minibuses and coaches and break up large groups after it emerged that a large block party was held in Leicester last weekend.  

2 comments:

  1. More BS about testing... PROVE that your testing identifies Covid-19.. you CAN NOT DO IT! So ANY data
    containing these kinds of numbers are simply conjecture. There is NO BASIS IN Fact... NUFF SAID....

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is no proof from this type of test that the bits of RNA are COVID 19. Virologists haven't even been able to isolate a single virus to map out it's RNA sequencing or it's coronal protein make up. To this day there is no OFFICIAL COVID 19 virus therefor no test and test positive for it.

    ReplyDelete

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