COVID-19: 2 Sisters Factory

Part of 5. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:00 pm on 24 June 2020.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:00, 24 June 2020

Thank you for the question from Dawn Bowden, and to be fair, Dawn has raised consistently with me over a period of time concerns about that broader community transmission rate within Merthyr Tydfil. The difficulty we face with Merthyr Tydfil is that the scale and the spread is different to the two sites in north Wales. The numbers are different and we're clear that they're centred or associated with the two sites in north Wales; it isn't as clear in Merthyr Tydfil. There have been 33 tests since April that have been associated with or have a link with the Kepak site in Merthyr, and one of the things that the incident team are looking to understand rapidly is whether that is about the operation of the site or whether it's actually about community or whether it's a mix of the two. There will be a site visit, and that's again the local authority working with health agencies, but also working with both the FSA and the Health and Safety Executive, and we should know much more not just about that visit, but the learning from that—what else we need to do within the sector to keep the operation as safe as possible.

When it comes to any site across Wales, it is of course one of the options to close that site on public health grounds. In Llangefni the employer made the decision to close the site. There are ongoing discussions and there will continue to be an ongoing assessment of whether any business should continue to operate and whether it can operate safely. So, I don't want to try to set up any suggestions or set any expectations, but I wouldn't rule out any measures to be taken to protect the wider public, not just the workforce but the wider public. So, when we have that understanding of what we need to do, and if indeed wider community or workplace measures are required, then I certainly won't be afraid to take those measures, but if people follow the advice they're given by test, trace and protect, then we will have a smart form of lockdown for all those people directly engaged and their households contacts.