Herefordshire outbreak: 200 quarantined workers at farm that supplies Asda, Tesco and Aldi given 'best support'

The 200 quarantined workers at a farm in Herefordshire are being given the “best support”, the county’s director of public health has said.

Some 73 positive cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed among workers at vegetable producer AS Green and Co, which is based in the village of Mathon, near Worcester.

A joint statement from Public Health England (PHE) Midlands and Herefordshire Council said employees were being asked to remain on the farm during the period of isolation.

During the harvesting season, the workforce resides in mobile homes based on the farm, so as a precaution the whole group are being treated as “one extended bubble”, according to officials.

Karen Wright also told BBC Breakfast there “isn’t any risk around the food” coming from the farm.

Ms Wright said: “The situation on site is that we are supporting the farm owners, who are doing their very best in this difficult situation.

“We’re helping by providing food and other provisions to all of the people on site.

“We’ve had translators on site over the weekend and that will be the same for the coming days, to look after the welfare of individuals and also to keep reinforcing those messages around reducing the spread of the infection.”

She added: “Our main priority is obviously to make sure people are well and that people are looked after and that’s the main thing we need to be doing and that’s our focus, to look after people really well.

“And to provide that reassurance to the local community that we are focused on obviously containing this outbreak within the farm situation.

“These are people’s homes, where they live on the farm, and it’s important that we support people to stay on the farm and look after their health and wellbeing on the site.”

Read more

PM to clarify face mask rules 'in next few days' as salons reopen-LIVE