Covid-19 outbreak among staff at second Bernard Matthews plant

Staff employed by a second Bernard Matthews factory have tested positive for Covid-19

Staff at a second Bernard Matthews factory have tested positive for coronavirus, officials have confirmed.

A small number of workers at the poultry firm's Great Witchingham site were self-isolating, Norfolk's public health director said.

Dr Louise Smith said it appeared to be a "cluster" of unrelated cases.

The firm, which has yet to comment, previously said it believed an outbreak at its plant at Holton, Suffolk, was linked to workers car-sharing.

In a statement, Dr Smith said the plant was not thought to be the source of the outbreak but reflected "the generally rising cases across the community".

"However, we are keeping this under close review with the management at Bernard Mathews," she said.

Health officials were working with the site's management team to trace contacts of confirmed cases and to prevent any further transmission of the virus on the site, she added.

Since last month, some 53 staff at the Holton site, which employs about 1,000 people, have tested positive for the virus.

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The number of coronavirus cases in Norfolk in the week to 6 October has risen from 235 to 371, compared to the previous week, while for Suffolk this figure increased from 113 to 277.

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