Coronavirus: 'No community infection' from Mathon farm

Food and other supplies are being delivered to workers staying in mobile homes on the site

There is "no indication" coronavirus has spread from a farm in lockdown in Herefordshire to the wider community, a council has said.

A S Green and Co in Mathon told its crop pickers to self-isolate last week after 74 tested positive for the virus.

Herefordshire Council said despite tests on workers finding 19 more cases, there was no evidence it had spread.

Chief executive Alistair Neill added more than 70 workers had recovered and were "able to begin to return to work".

Mr Neill told councillors the authority was working with Public Health England to scrutinize areas near Rook Row Farm, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"That's been carried out on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis to determine if there are any new cases presenting in any surrounding area, or any area that it is known the seasonal workers would have visited, such as shops," he said.

"At this stage there is no indication of any community infection."

There was still "some way to go" until it was through the outbreak, he added.

Contractors were pictured waiting to go on site

Karen Wright, the county's director of public health, previously said the risk to the general public from the outbreak "remains low."

Mr Neill told a council meeting 223 people had been identified as working, living or visiting the farm since late June, with the vast majority being key workers from overseas employed through agencies.

Areas nearby are being scrutinised by the council and Public Health England

He added similar outbreaks on farms were a national issue and he had been in discussion with the government about it taking the lead in such cases.

"My own estimation would be it's extremely unlikely this will be the only outbreak in the country and those outbreaks could happen pretty well anywhere throughout the country," he said.

• EASY STEPS: What can I do?

• CONTAINMENT: What it means to self-isolate

• FOOD: How can I shop or get deliveries safely?

• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area

• MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak