Public Health England praise Wensleydale Creamery for their handling of Covid-19 outbreak after four more positive tests

Earlier this month it was announced the five workers at the cheese production site in Hawes had been diagnosed with Covid-19, and this week four more positive results from employees were received. All nine confirmed cases were tested at the same time.

Despite the outbreak at the plant - which also has a visitor centre, cafe and shop that have remained open - causing concerns in the local area, Public Health England have praised the Creamery's handling of the situation.

Parish councillors say they have been contacted by fearful residents who have questioned why the production facility has remained operational and asked why staff had been seen shopping in Hawes rather than isolating at home.

All staff have now received tests and the results have been returned. Some areas of the plant have been placed under restricted access to bring the outbreak under control.

North Yorkshire's director of public health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, said the business has worked 'openly' with his team and Public Health England during investigations.

“The Wensleydale Creamery has worked very openly with us at North Yorkshire County Council and with other agencies including Public Health England to get this outbreak quickly under control. Speedy joint action means we can stop the virus from spreading and protect visitors, staff and the wider community. We commend them for their efforts to ensure measures are in place to keep staff and visitors safe.”

A spokesperson for the Wensleydale Creamery said: “Our fast response in collaboration with Public Health England and North Yorkshire County Council meant we were able to test all members of our production team, advise further members of staff to isolate as a precaution and ensure additional important measures were quickly put in place to contain the spread of the virus.

“Public Health for North Yorkshire has praised our quick response and the additional robust and responsible measures implemented by the Wensleydale Creamery to operate safely and ensure the safety of our colleagues. As an A* International Food Safety accredited site with a 5/5 Food Standards Agency rating, we are committed to maintaining the highest standard of hygiene.

“The nearby Wensleydale Creamery visitor centre is unaffected and remains fully open with stringent procedures in place to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for visitors and staff. Since our phased reopening, we have controlled customer and staff numbers, maintaining social distancing in all areas, undertaken frequent comprehensive cleaning, introduced one-way systems with separate entrances for each area, with hand sanitisers throughout, and daily temperature checks for employees. We are also operating track and trace.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors for a safe and enjoyable day out at our visitor centre, including Calvert’s Restaurant and the 1897 coffee shop which are participating in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.”