Tayto confirms six coronavirus cases at Corby factory

There have been six confirmed cases of coronavirus among members of staff at the Tayto factory in Corby.

The Princewood Road site was closed over the bank holiday weekend for deep cleaning.

A spokesman for Tayto Group, a Northern Irish crisp manufacturer, said: "We can confirm we have had six positive cases of coronavirus among our employees at our site in Corby.

"Following government and NHS guidance, all symptomatic employees have self-isolated and will not return to work until it is appropriate for them to do so."

The confirmed cases prompted a deep clean this bank holiday weekend (May 8-10).

The spokesman said: "We decided to take the opportunity of the extended bank holiday weekend to supplement our normal deep cleaning regime with some additional resource.

"The factory re-commenced production on Sunday evening as planned."

News of the confirmed cases at the Corby factory follows the Prime Minister's address to the nation last night (Sunday, May 10) when he urged those who cannot work from home to return to work from today (Monday).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work."

He said those going to work should avoid using public transport.

The Tayto Group said it takes the health and safety of employees and customers extremely seriously.

The spokesman added: "Safeguards for social distancing have been implemented on site since March, as well as enhanced and frequent cleaning procedures.

"We have kept Environmental Health Officers fully informed of the measures we have taken throughout. We continue to follow all government guidance and work with all of our colleagues to maintain a safe working environment during the coronavirus pandemic."