Coronavirus: 165 cases at Kober factory

A total of 165 staff who work at a meat factory at the centre of a localised coronavirus outbreak have now tested positive for the virus.

Cases of the virus at the Kober factory in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire – a supplier to Asda – were first confirmed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Kirklees Council and Public Health England have not provided information about the size of the workforce.

Asda said the site had reduced capacity and healthy staff were fit to return.

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Kirklees Council had said no-one at the factory had been seriously ill with the virus.

In a statement the council said: “The whole workforce has been offered testing and 165 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19.

“The testing is likely to have identified people who had mild illness, or even some not showing symptoms who may have otherwise gone undetected and could have infected others.

“These positive cases are being followed up by the NHS Test and Trace programme and they are being advised to self-isolate for seven days.

“Anyone identified as a close contact of a positive case is being advised to self-isolate for 14 days.”

Asked for a comment on the figure Asda referred to a statement it issued on Monday, which said: “We have worked collaboratively with Kirklees Council and Public Health England since the site closed over a week ago and they support our decision to reopen.”

It said the factory – which reopened earlier this week – reopened on a “reduced capacity” and only staff who had been tested and declared fit to return were allowed on site.

Asda said staff who were self-isolating would continue to receive full pay.

“Whilst Kirklees Council were satisfied with our existing safety procedures, we have introduced some additional measures as a precaution,” the supermarket added.

“These include separation of colleagues on different shifts and checking the temperature of colleagues before they enter the site.”