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Sources in the meat industry have confirmed that the Executive of the Health Service postponed testing for Covid-19 in meat plants.
Sinn Féin has described the move as “reckless.”
The HSE confirmed the move in an email to the party today.
In correspondence, Midwest Public Health Director Dr. Mai Mannix said the decision to postpone testing at food processing facilities was made “due to the increased capacity needed at this time to treat people with symptoms. “
She told the party that the decision was made at the “national level.”
Cavan / Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said immediate responses from the government were needed and that the decision to cease testing at food processing plants was “reckless, inexplicable and poses an extreme danger to our communities.”
This is a shame @DonnellyStephen!
HSE has stopped inspections at the meat plants. The minister stopped at Dáil and made no reference to this dangerous and inexplicable decision. Responses are required immediately! pic.twitter.com/fBajp7h8hg– Matt Carthy TD (@mattcarthy) September 9, 2020
In a statement, the HSE said that Covid-19 testing of personnel at meat and food processing facilities was “rescheduled for next week.”
This was a “precautionary measure” to allow the health service to focus its resources on meeting the “significant increase in demand for tests among people with coronavirus symptoms in the community.”
Demand for testing “nearly tripled Monday” with the requirement of more than 13,000 community tests and more than 3,000 hospital tests.
The statement continued: “We are communicating directly with the facilities scheduled for testing and will reschedule the planned testing next week.
“It is important to remember that when an outbreak occurs, the normal mass testing will continue to occur on meat plants.
“Public Health will be contacted locally in those situations. In the meantime, if a staff member develops symptoms of coronavirus, we will ask them to isolate themselves and call a GP for a referral for a free coronavirus test.”
Serial tests in meat plants, which began on August 21, have yielded 40 positive cases so far and a positivity rate of 0.28%.
There are currently four groups in meat plants across the country.
More than 1,500 cases of the virus were confirmed in meat processing plants, primary and secondary.
All food processing facilities in Laois, Kildare and Offaly have been tested a total of three times under the serial testing program.
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