MORE than 70 of those who were infected with Covid-19 at the Herefordshire farm placed into lockdown have now recovered from the virus.

Positive cases of the virus were confirmed at Rook Row Farm in Mathon, near Ledbury, last week.

Health officials put the place into lockdown and have conducted mass testing on more than 200 people who work for vegetable producer AS Green & Co. after an initial single confirmed positive case.

The confirmed cases linked to the farm had risen to 93 by July 16 but Herefordshire Council chief executive Alistair Neill said many of those were now well enough to go back to work.

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“To date, 223 people have been identified as working on or living on or visiting the farm since late June,” he said.

“The vast majority of staff are key workers from overseas employed through agencies as seasonal workers who are such an important part, not only of our county, but of the British agricultural sector.

“Following identification of a single positive case of Covid-19 we went to the farm and we quickly progressed to mass testing of all personnel and found a high level of infection.

“Up to yesterday, there were 93 positive cases all workers were designated by us as either positive cases or contacts and that has been absolutely clear.

“Contacts are those who are likely to have been within two metres for 15 minutes or more with a positive case.

“Due to the close proximity of people on the site we gave direction to the vast majority on the farm that they should self-isolate and we’ve been working continuously since last week with Mr & Mrs Green who are the owners of the farm in this work.”

Mr Neill told the full council meeting today (July 17) that they were seeing great progress a week on from the virus outbreak.

However, he expects the outbreak to last for some time as more positive cases are expected.

“We have now reached the seven-day point after the tests were conducted and that is a good thing,” he said.

“Many of those who were positive are now able to begin to return to work. They are no longer infected; they are in the clear and they were all seen by our public health team.

“This will be of the order of about 70 people from today and more will follow in the days ahead and that is really good news.

“It’s very encouraging. We have some way to go, however, until we are through this outbreak.

“Clearly, for those who were categorised as contacts there is a full 14 days they need to work their way through in self isolation.

“And indeed, any who become contacts can become positive in the second week any new person will need to start again with a 14-day isolation.

“So what we are likely to see is an extended period of increasing numbers of those who are contacts and positives and we are at the tipping point right now of those who are beginning to return to work right now and we will significantly more returning to work in the week ahead.

“We have some way to go however, it’s a very challenging and dynamic situation and before we are through his outbreak, we are going to see more activity that engaged in with people on and off site overseeing this.

“My absolute focus remains containing the site and supporting all those key workers on it who are so important, and they are important to the wider economy.

Council chairman Sebastian Bowen said it was very reassuring that the situation was well handled.

He said: “I hope they all make a very swift recovery and carry on doing their work. Excellent."