Finnebrogue warning over threat to production lines
Production lines could grind to a halt unless the isolation rules around Covid-19 are changed, a boss of Finnebrogue Artisan food has claimed.
Jago Pearson, chief strategy officer at the Downpatrick-based business urged the Government to reduce the current isolation period from seven days to five.
“For food production, the largest manufacturing sector in Britain, mass quarantining of healthy workers threatens to grind production lines to a halt,” Mr Pearson told the Belfast Telegraph.
“Iceland boss Richard Walker has called for isolation to be cut to five days,” he added.
“His call will be echoed by the whole food industry.
“We have done so much to keep our staff safe throughout the pandemic by implementing advanced protection and prevention measures at considerable cost.
“Their efforts to feed the nation have been extraordinary. But now we need Government to relax isolation rules — not just to save the NHS — but our essential food industry too.”
The current rules in Northern Ireland, England and Wales mean that people who test positive can return to work after seven days of isolation, provided they can provide negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven.
However, speaking about NHS absences, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would consider cutting the isolation period if it could be shown not to increase infection.
He said: “Absences, although high, are not as high as it has been at some other points in this pandemic — that’s no cause for complacency.
“What we will do is keep the period of isolation under constant review and if we think we can bring it down without increasing infection then of course we will.”
Close contacts of Covid-19 cases are also advised to self-isolate, though they can stop doing so if they have a negative lateral flow test.
Speaking to Sky News, Iceland boss Richard Walker said: “I think it is fair to say that business is under strain as never before.
“This new variant seems to be a lot more contagious and that is having a big impact.
“My call on government would be firstly to prioritise lateral flow tests for key workers including food retail front line shop workers, but also to revisit the onerous isolation rules.
“Seven days is a long time for people who are triple jabbed when the symptoms are for the vast majority of people not more than a common cold or mild flu.”
