CBS Packaging factory shut after employees test positive for Covid-19

THE CBS Packaging factory in West Bromwich has been shut after more than a third of the employees have tested positive for Covid-19.

The facility on Brandon Way was closed for 14 days when forty-nine of the 117 employees caught the virus.

The decision to close was taken by the management to prevent a further outbreak in the wider community.

The outbreak was first reported by health officials on Friday, reported Express & Star. 

The Sandwell Council has said there were 22 confirmed cases at the factory, with a further 15 employees showing symptoms. Over recent weeks a spurt in Covid-19 cases was reported in neighbouring Smethwick.

A council spokesman said the factory is "at the centre of a major coronavirus outbreak" in the borough. Staff will be instructed to self-isolate at home for 14 days while public health teams will monitor their conditions.

"The company has co-operated with public health partners and assure us they are doing everything they can to comply with the advice and measures recommended," said Sandwell Council’s director of public health Dr Lisa McNally.

"We would like to appeal to all businesses to contact us straight away if they have two or more cases of Covid-19 in their workplace. If we act early we can help minimise the impact on the employees and the business."

CBS Packaging specialise in manufacturing bespoke corrugated packaging solutions to a wide range of industries.