Coronavirus: Herefordshire farm outbreak causes hygiene complaints

Vegetable pickers at a farm where 73 people tested positive for Covid-19 said they had hygiene concerns about the site.

Two workers said they had to share a toilet with up to 60 other people at AS Green and Co in Herefordshire, which was closed after testing.

The couple isolates themselves at home, in addition to some 200 workers who are said to be quarantined at the site’s accommodation.

The farm has been asked for comments.

West Mercia police later said three farm workers, including one who had tested positive for Covid-19, had left the site.

Dr. Helen Carter of Public Health England said: “We are aware that three people have left the farm against our guidance and advice and we are working with the West Mercia police force to make sure they are safe and well “

When asked if they had been tracked, Dr. Carter said, “Right now, the police are trying to find their location.”

In response to concerns about worker welfare, a public health spokesperson in the county said owners of the farm, which supplies national supermarket chains, were “doing the best they could in this difficult situation.”

Brandon Burridge and Leah Johnson, a couple from Malvern, Worcestershire, signed up to work on the farm after seeing their Pick for Britain ads in the local press.

Their last day of work was July 2, and they said the first thing they knew about the outbreak was in the media.

They said that no one from the farm had been in contact because of the outbreak and alleged that they had been blocked by a WhatsApp group from the company after asking questions.

They said they were now isolating themselves in their homes and awaiting the results of their own tests, which they say they organized themselves.

Johnson, 21, said that during an induction process, about 15 people had been sitting on shared benches without mentioning that they were 2 m (6 ft) apart.

“There was nothing about the hand sanitizer, they didn’t give us any. We weren’t allowed to wear gloves,” he said.

“It seemed strange to us, but we thought that since it was an outdoor job, the risk of coronavirus would be low.

“But we had not considered shared facilities.

“People were saying ‘there’s only one bathroom’, that’s ridiculous, and it got pretty gross pretty quickly, and we were told [by other team members] to avoid it at all costs.

“There was a little hand sanitizer in the bathroom.”

Mr. Burridge, 22, said: “I tried to call them to ask why they had not informed us [of the outbreak] as he thought it was his duty to say.

“But we were told that our regular contacts were not available. The woman on the phone offered to relay the message, but we did not receive a response. So I sent them an email but have not yet received a response.

“And we have been blocked from the WhatsApp group team.”

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The farm workers, who employ a mix of UK and overseas seasonal workers, are supported by public health staff, who provide food and other supplies, along with translators.

At Monday’s BBC breakfast, Karen Wright, Herefordshire’s director of public health, said the priority was the well-being of people at the site and that it contained the outbreak, adding that the risk of Covid-19 transmission from Food was low, and there were “no particular concerns about the health of any individual”.

She said of the workers, “I think it’s fair to say that anyone in this situation would be concerned, but overall they feel supported.”

He added that the farm was home to those who lived on the site, said it was important that they stay there while taking care of their health, and that local workers also isolated themselves as a precaution.

Currently, no one worked on the farm, he said, “because people are positive or identify as a contact because we are treating everyone on the farm as a contact.”

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