Walkers Crisps factory sees coronavirus outbreak with 28 confirmed cases

A Walkers Crisps factory in Leicester, the area subject to a local lockdown, has confirmed there have been 28 positive cases of coronavirus at the factory. 

It could be bad news for crisp lovers with a Walkers factory confirming that some employees have tested positive for coronavirus.

The firm employs 1,400 people at the site in Beaumont Leys, and has said it has seen a ‘steady increase’ in the number of confirmed cases throughout June. 

Walkers has claimed its track and trace procedure indicates the transmission of the virus was ‘not in our factory’, the Mirror reports.

Instead, the crisps giant believes the rise ‘coincides with the roll-out and uptake of testing’ in Leicester.

A spokesperson said “We have shared our data and analysis with the health authorities and they support the view that our situation reflects transmission in the community and we do not have a transmission issue on site.

“In light of the recent increase in cases in Leicester, we have been proactively reinforcing the importance of continued vigilance on site.”

The company has confirmed that employees who have either a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 are self-isolating and on full pay. 

Leicester became the first UK area to be placed into a local lockdown on Monday night due to the city having 944 new cases in the last two weeks.

The city has closed non-essential shops and schools again, as it accounted for 10% of all new cases in the country this week. 

Residents are being told to stay home unless they need to make an essential journey.

However, many residents have been confused about the lockdown boundaries, with many people living on opposite sides of the same street having different rules which mean one household is in lockdown and the other isn’t.

The council is said to be working on a postcode checker to clear things up for those people who live on the borders of the lockdown. 

Officers in Leicestershire and nearby Nottinghamshire have been given the green light to prevent unessential travel out of the city.

And any individual trying to get into a neighbouring county could be hit with a massive £100 fine. 

Craig Guildford, chief constable of Nottingham’s British Transport Police, said: “We are not anticipating a rise [in travel] of people from Leicester.

“You are still allowed to travel to get to work, but they will be looking for a breach of the guidance such as going shopping or going on a night out.”