Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne is calling for routine Covid-19 testing to be stepped up at factories including meat and mushroom plants.
The Tipperary deputy says there’s fear and disappointment in west Tipperary after an outbreak of Covid-19 emerged at Walsh Mushrooms in Golden.
The HSE completed testing of 112 workers on the grounds of Golden Church yesterday evening.
Mushroom farms as well as meat factories have become a hot topic in the Covid-19 debate due to the difficulties being seen in containing the spread of the virus in these settings.
Tipperary deputy Martin Browne says regular testing needs to take place at these settings to prevent further outbreaks:
“There’s a lot of fear and disappointment that testing hadn’t taken place in the likes of the factory in Golden. Because worries had been raised about these types of factories and we (Sinn Féin) had been raising them since early May.”
He also believes there’s been a lack of leadership in recent months about how to contain the virus, and is concerned about the prospect of restrictions being tightened once again:
“Let’s hope that they have it contained and that it can be kept that way and we don’t have to go back into a lockdown. Because I have a fear that the public won’t buy into it second time around and that could lead to serious problems in the county.”
