Coronavirus outbreak at Scotland Tesco warehouse as workers test positive for virus

A number of workers have tested positive for coronavirus at a distribution centre in Scotland

4 September 2020

A number of staff have tested positive for Covid-19 at a large Tesco distribution centre in Scotland.

Tesco said a “small number” of workers have tested positive for coronavirus at the facility near Livingston in West Lothian.

The warehouse supplies 318 Tesco stores across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.

The distribution centre remains open and the supermarket giant said it is maintaining social distancing measures to ensure workers keep a two-metre distance apart.

A Tesco spokesman said: “The small number of colleagues that have tested positive for Covid-19 at our Livingston Distribution Centre are self-isolating and their close contacts have been informed.

“We take the health and safety of our colleagues extremely seriously and are working closely with public health authorities.

“We have measures in place to ensure colleagues stay 2m apart throughout our centres and hand-sanitiser, masks, gloves and visors available to all colleagues.”

It comes after Public Health England responded to two coronavirus outbreaks in the Midlands: at a sandwich factory in Northampton and at fruit wholesalers Fyffes, in Coventry.

Last week the Food Standards Agency said there were around 40 food processing plants in England, both meat and non-meat, with active outbreaks.

One of those factories was Banham Poultry in Attleborough, Norfolk, where 75 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

Norfolk County Council said in a statement that tests were carried out on 347 members of staff after seven caught the virus.

As a result of the infection rate, which is at about 22 per cent, Banham Poultry closed part of its site following advice from Public Health England and Norfolk Public Health.

FSA chief operating officer Colin Sullivan said: “Whilst the picture keeps evolving, the level of Covid-19 outbreaks in food processing plants that have been reported in this country remains very low and we continue to work with colleagues leading on these public health and health and safety issues.

“Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are more than 20,000 food processing plants and only a very small proportion have been impacted.”

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