Food manufacturer Peter’s Food is set to test more than 600 members of staff at its site in Bedwas, Wales after six positive cases were confirmed.

The company, which produces pies and pasties, has set up a mobile testing unit outside of the factory in Bedwas, Caerphilly.

Caerphilly was the first county in Wales to be placed under lockdown again as part of new Government measures.

Those who have contracted the virus have been excluded from the site, with this also applying to colleagues who have been in direct contact with them.

“At this stage the authority still believes the transmission is through the community, however, they need to understand the bigger picture to identify if this is the start of onward transmission within the factory environment.”

A spokesperson from Peter’s Food said: “To ensure that ‘Track and Trace’ can be alerted and follow-up any direct contacts, we outline where the positive contact has worked, the nature of their work, and the precautions we have taken to ensure that we limit any further transmission.

“In addition, any colleague, who is defined as a ‘direct contact’ of a colleague who has unfortunately tested positive, is also immediately excluded from site.

“Our understanding is that the rationale for conducting a 100% testing of colleagues is the increased number of Covid-19 test results reported in recent days.

“The authority would like to understand if there is the potential for onward transmission within the factory environment and determine if Peter’s are likely to see a greater number of cases within the coming week.

“Peter’s has been told that the decision is not a reflection on the controls in place in the factory as these have been reviewed and are very good and there has been minimal positive Covid-19 or asymptomatic cases.

“At this stage the authority still believes the transmission is through the community, however, they need to understand the bigger picture to identify if this is the start of onward transmission within the factory environment.”