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A covid outbreak at a meat processing factory in Cleckheaton was kept secret for nine days until last Friday.
Matt Hancock accidentally referred to it at a No 10 briefing. Until then not even local people knew about it.
4/n
Matt Hancock accidentally referred to it at a No 10 briefing. Until then not even local people knew about it.
4/n
Last Thursday a similar factory in South Wales was closed and 350 employees are now in isolation. 75 have been confirmed to have the virus.
5/n
5/n
There was another outbreak, at the *same time* in a similar factory in Germany.
At least 700 workers at that German factory have been diagnosed with the virus!
The R factor in Germany has now risen to 1.7 as a direct result of this one factory. It employs 4,000 people!
6/n
At least 700 workers at that German factory have been diagnosed with the virus!
The R factor in Germany has now risen to 1.7 as a direct result of this one factory. It employs 4,000 people!
6/n
A further 25,000 meat processors in the USA have also had the virus in recent weeks and at least 91 have died.
7/n
7/n
So why, when the virus is allegedly *declining* elsewhere, is it *spreading* like wildfire in these factories?
It wasn’t happening 3 months ago. But it is now! Why?
8/n
It wasn’t happening 3 months ago. But it is now! Why?
8/n
One *possible* explanations could be the refrigerated environment. Everyone works at temperatures below 5 degrees. They wear winter clothes all the time to keep warm.
The virus is known to survive for long periods in cold conditions! Freezing it merely preserves it!
9/n
The virus is known to survive for long periods in cold conditions! Freezing it merely preserves it!
9/n
I’d urge you to think about this because this could be yet another major crisis on the horizon and it alone could lead to another surge in the spread of the virus in the UK. If it can happen in Germany, it can happen here.
10/n
10/n
Whatever the reason for the surge, the current situation reminds me of the very beginning of the covid crisis when many people like myself could hear the alarm bells ringing, were expecting *urgent* action, and virtually nothing happened
11/n
11/n
I’m not a public health expert or a scientist but I did spend the latter party of my professional life in emergency planning and crisis management.
The key priority with all these issues, as @RoryStewartUK said last time around, is to *act quickly* and *be proactive*
12/n
The key priority with all these issues, as @RoryStewartUK said last time around, is to *act quickly* and *be proactive*
12/n
20 yrs ago I’d be confident that a ‘task force’ of competent specialists from the ‘Min of Agriculture’ would be working on this 24/7 but, bearing in mind what has happened with virtually every other aspect of this crisis, I’m no longer confident that this will happen.
13/n
13/n
Our high street shops have been transformed in recent months. But has anything been done to transform the meat processing sector? If so, has it happened throughout the sector?
14/n
14/n
Screens? PPE? Increased inspections? Regular virus testing for all employees? Revised travel arrangements? Home screening? Accommodation?
15/n
15/n
There is no suggestion the food is infected. Food hygiene has to be kept to a high standard in these places. It’s all controlled very efficiently. Yet the workers are falling ill in large numbers.
16/n
16/n
So something is happening in these places that’s not healthy for the staff. We need to get to the bottom of it and QUICKLY
17/n
17/n
Please retweet to any MPs, journalists, scientists, health and safety experts you may know. Perhaps they’ll have an idea what it is occurring and what can be done about it.
This is not a party political issue. We all need to work together on this one.
18/n
This is not a party political issue. We all need to work together on this one.
18/n
