Almost 100 workers recover from coronavirus at locked-down farm

By Carmelo Garcia Local Democracy Reporter


OUTBREAK AT FARM

Almost 100 farm workers at AS Green and Co have now recovered from coronavirus. Picture: Rob Davies

Almost 100 people who were infected with coronavirus at the locked-down Herefordshire farm have now fought off the disease.

Rook Row Farm in Mathon was placed into lockdown two weeks ago after more than 70 cases were detected there.

Health officials conducted mass testing on more than 200 people who work for vegetable producer AS Green & Co after an initial single positive case was confirmed at the farm.

The total number of positive cases at the farm has risen to 134 but health officers say there only 12 of these cases are active.

Herefordshire's public health director Karen Wright said things were much better two weeks on from the outbreak.

“There are now 96 people who have had Covid-19 and are now well and are out of the period they need to isolate – so, people can now actually get back to work which is great really.

“Now there are 12 people who are positive on site.

“The guidance for anyone who is positive is that they have to self-isolate for seven days.

“And then in addition to that they have got to have 48 hours in which they haven’t had any symptoms of a high temperature or feeling unwell.

“People who have Covid-19 could have a cough for weeks, a loss taste or of smell which lasts for a long time.

“But as long as you’ve not had a temperature for 48 and are not feeling generally unwell that mean you are no longer infections and can get back to normal.

Ms Wright said people who have had coronavirus and recovered could still test positive weeks after fighting off the disease.

“That’s because your body can still have the virus within it but it’s no longer infectious.”

During the first days of the outbreak, three workers fled the lockdown at the farm - one of them was known to be infected.


READ MORE: All the latest on AS Green and Co's coronavirus outbreak

Workers there had visited four shops in the week, raising the possibility that they have spread the virus further.

But health officials say there will not be a review into the response of all the parties involved.

“Yes, there was a very small number of people who left the farm but that’s not surprising given the situation,” Ms Wright said.

She said most people on the site had been cooperative and they had worked well with the farm owners.

“My reinforcing message is the need to regularly wash your hands, dry them, social distancing and to get tested at any sign of symptoms.

“There can be a temptation for some businesses to think I’m not going to get my staff tested – but please do.

“To be fair, that’s what they did do at Rook Row Farm and we got that mass testing done really quickly.”