Banham Poultry: More Norfolk workers contract Covid-19

The Banham Poultry factory in Attleborough has been partially closed after 80 staff tested positive for Covid-19

The number of workers at a poultry factory in Norfolk testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 80.

Banham Poultry in Attleborough has partially closed and 350 staff and their households are self-isolating.

Norfolk public health director Dr Louise Smith said the 21.2% infection rate was high and considered "a significant national outbreak".

Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman said he was "confident public health officials in Norfolk were on top of this".

• What do we know about the Banham Poultry outbreak?

But he added: "It's very important that companies like Banham are not allowed to go bust and that we support such companies."

About 7,000 birds were culled as a result of Wednesday's partial closure, according to Mr Freeman.

"It's vital we save lives but it's important we get the balance right and prevent job losses," he continued.

On Friday, Dr Smith announced that "precautionary" coronavirus testing had been extended to all staff.

A total of approximately 800 people who had worked on site since 1 August would be tested at Banham Poultry or contacted and tested in a process that could take "some time", she said.

About 360 workers had been tested so far and there was no evidence of any wider spread of the disease beyond the factory's cutting room, which has been closed, she said.

About 7,000 birds have been culled as a result of the outbreak

She said the public health team was working with NHS Test and Trace to contact all staff who had tested positive and were isolating.

Contact was also being made with all staff isolating at home to ensure they understood how to isolate and how to get help, with information provided in eight different languages.

Support available includes: access to food and essential supplies, access to medications and prescriptionsm emergency financial support as well as other support for those with no family or friends nearby to help.

In a statement the Unite union called for Banham Poultry to consider "a temporary shutdown of the entire site", with staff being put on paid leave rather than statutory sick pay.

A Banham Poultry spokesman said: "Employees who are ill or self-isolating are provided with statutory sick pay.

"We are in contact with the local council and government to see if additional support can be provided."

The plant employs 1,100 people who mostly live outside of Attleborough, with a third of those isolating living in the Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Breckland areas.

Dr Smith said affected workers also lived in other parts of Norfolk and in other counties.

Bernard Matthews' worker

Norfolk's public health teams were using track and trace systems to isolate the spread.

Public health officials are not presently considering a wider lockdown although the Secretary of State for Health has been informed.

On Friday, turkey producer Bernard Matthews, based in Great Witchingham, announced one member of staff had tested positive in a "isolated case".

"The individual has not been at work for a week and continues to self-isolate," a spokesman said.

"All contacts have since been traced and have been tested. All results are negative."

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