THERE were no positive cases of Covid-19 detected in the latest round of testing of workers at the Kepak meat plant in Watergrasshill.
Sources said that the testing took place last Thursday, with results coming through on Saturday.
Two weeks previously, more than 120 workers at the plant had tested positive with the highly contagious virus after mass testing on May 12.
Many workers who had been in isolation because of contact with confirmed cases are now returning to work at the plant.
Workers are expected to be tested again at the end of next week, as testing will continue every 15 days at the plant.
One source, whose spouse works in the plant, said the family is very happy with how the company has handled the issue at the plant.
It is now mandatory for staff to wear face masks at all times in the factory.
There are more than 650 employees at the Watergrasshill factory.
There has been concern about the outbreak of the virus in the meat processing sector, with more than 900 cases of the virus in 16 different clusters in the industry.
At present, the Watergrasshill plant is the only one of the four meat factories in Cork to have an outbreak.
In its latest update on the Covid-19 situation, Kepak said: ”Kepak Group is designated by Government as an essential service provider; we aim to ensure that our customers have an adequate and quality supply of food available for consumers throughout this Covid-19 pandemic. All our factories, therefore, continue to remain safely operational. At Kepak, the health and safety of our staff, customers and suppliers is our key priority.
“As such, we are actively engaging with our Employee Forums, with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), to ensure that best practice Covid-19 control measures and procedures are implemented and adhered to across all our sites.”
It continued: ”Kepak continues to observe all HSE protocols during this pandemic. We are implementing their updated protocols, including additional testing, to enhance the safe ‘return-to-work’ of our staff.”
