A further four Covid-19 clusters have been confirmed in meat processing plants in the past seven days, bringing the total to 16.
They account for 828 cases, an increase of 328 over the week.
Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has said 496 workers have “gone through the appropriate self-isolation, recovered and are back at work.”
It said workers who were diagnosed more recently are continuing to self-isolate and it is taking guidance from the HSE to prevent further outbreaks.
Last night, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the trend was worrying and the National Health Emergency Team (NPHET) would be considering the issue at its meeting later this week.
“There is a national outbreak control team in place,” he said.
“It is concerning and certainly it will be one of the topics on the agenda I think for out NPHET discussion this Friday.
“Just to say as well though, as part of the work that the outbreak control team is doing, I know guidance is issued to all of the facilities and to the employers setting out the kinds of steps that should be taken to mitigate the worst effects of this in those settings.”
Independent TD Denis Naughten said the HSE has “serious questions to answer” and warned that the clusters could lead to a second wave of the virus in the community.
“The fear is that this will lead to a spread within the community,” he said.
“Clearly, there is a problem in relation to the management of this infection – not just within the plants themselves but within the public health department of the HSE.
“Serious questions need to be answered by the HSE and how they are managing this infection and I believe that is significantly contributing to the growth of this infection within meat plants.
In a statement, MII said its members “acted promptly” to address the COVID-19 threat and put in place a “wide range of protective measures” before the national lockdown was announced.
It said many plants remain unaffected and others have experienced “very few positive cases.”
Senior Director Cormac Healy said: “MII members do not underestimate the challenge COVID-19 poses and acted quickly and comprehensively to address the situation over two months ago.”
“Whilst there have been a significant number of positive Covid-19 cases in some plants, it is important to recognise that many plants have had either no, or low numbers, of cases.
“Thankfully, a large number of affected people have now recovered, and more recently detected positives continue to complete their self-isolation periods and recovery.”
MII said the meat industry “remains focused on containment of Covid-19 infection while also endeavouring to continue operations during this period.”
