Guidance

Northampton: Greencore restrictions

Find out what you can and cannot do if you work at the Northampton Greencore factories during the local outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) or live with someone who does.

• From: Department of Health and Social Care
• Published: 23 August 2020
• Last updated: 31 August 2020 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on 29 September 2020

Requirements for Northampton Greencore factory workers and their households to self-isolate were lifted on 25 September. Those with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection should refer to guidance on self-isolation.

An outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been identified in Northampton associated with the Greencore food production sites. The government and relevant local authorities are acting together to control the spread of the virus.

Affected people

The restrictions apply to Greencore workers and those in their households if the worker’s main place of work during any time that they worked for Greencore between 7 August and 21 August was at:

• units A, B, C and D located at the following address: Greencore Northampton, Moulton Park Industrial Estate, 15 to 17 Deer Park Road, Northamptonshire, NN3 6RX
• unit K located at the following address: Greencore Northampton, Unit 1, Clayfield Close, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6QF

This includes:

• people who are employed directly by Greencore or are agency staff working at the Greencore sites
• people who work full or part time, including if they also work at other sites or for other companies

Workers are covered by these restrictions if the main place they undertook work was at either of the sites above during the time they spent working for Greencore between 7 August and 21 August.

Workers’ ‘households’ are the people they live with and who share amenities such as the kitchen and/or bathrooms in their home.

The restrictions do not apply to Greencore workers if all of the following apply:

• the worker took a COVID-19 test between 7 August and 11 August
• the test was from NHS Test and Trace or Randox Laboratories Ltd
• the test was positive
• the worker self-isolated for a continuous period of 10 days starting on the date the worker received the positive test result
• the worker has not been present at the above locations between the date they received the positive test result and 21 August

The restrictions also do not apply to Greencore workers if all of the following apply:

• the worker took a COVID-19 test between 12 August and 19 August
• the test was from NHS Test and Trace or Randox Laboratories Ltd
• the test was positive
• the worker has self-isolated for a continuous period of 10 days starting on the date they received the positive test result

The restrictions do not apply to the people living with a Greencore worker if the worker moves out of their home and does not return until he or she has completed their continuous period of self-isolation.

However, if the worker later lives again with those people, a further continuous 14-day period of self-isolation must then be completed by the worker and all the people they live with. The same applies if the worker temporarily lives with anyone else (either by joining their household, or them joining the worker’s household) – both the worker and all the people they are living with must complete a new continuous period of 14-day self-isolation.

Restrictions

Self-isolation means that the person must remain in isolation from other people or with the people they live with if they isolate together from other people.

Any affected person who has tested positive for COVID-19 since 20 August must self-isolate for a continuous period of 10 days from the date of the positive test result.

Any affected person who has not tested positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for a continuous period of 14 days (including any period of self-isolation already undertaken).

If a worker or anyone they live with receives a positive test result for COVID-19 before 28 August during their period of self-isolation, that person must self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the positive test result. Anyone else that they live with (who has not tested positive) must self-isolate for 14 days from the date of the household member’s positive test result.

Affected people must self-isolate at their home, at the home of a family member or friend, in a hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast accommodation, or other suitable place. If the worker self-isolates in a place where they share amenities with other people, those other people are part of their household and the restriction to self-isolate applies to them as well.

If a Greencore worker or anyone they live with receives a positive test result for COVID-19 on or after 28 August, they should follow current government guidance and self-isolate for 10 days, and the people they live with should self-isolate for 14 days, from the date of the positive test.

See guidance on staying at home for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Workers and household members are allowed to leave self-isolation for any of the essential reasons listed below:

• to seek medical assistance where this is required urgently or on the advice of a medical practitioner (including doctor, dentist or optician)
• to access veterinary services where this is required urgently or on the advice of a veterinary surgeon
• to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings
• to avoid injury or to escape a risk of harm
• on compassionate grounds, including to attend a funeral of a member of your household, a close family member or, if neither a member of the household or family are attending, a friend
• if there is no other way for them to obtain basic necessities such as food and medical supplies for those in the same household
• to access critical public services, such as social services
• to move to a different place for self-isolation where it becomes impracticable to remain at the address where they are self-isolating

Enforcement

If you leave the place where you are self-isolating before the required 10- or 14-day period without reasonable excuse, you are committing an offence and could be fined.

The police have the power to direct people to return to or remove them to the place they are self-isolating, and issue Fixed Penalty Notices of £100 to adults.

It is an offence to wilfully obstruct a police officer directing a person to return to or removing a person to the place where they are self-isolating, punishable with a fine of £1,000.

All offences under these regulations can be tried in a magistrates’ court and can be punished with an unlimited fine.

Published 23 August 2020
Last updated 31 August 2020 + show all updates

1. 31 August 2020

   Updated with additional guidance on restrictions that apply to Greencore workers and their households.

2. 23 August 2020

   First published.