Mr. Michael Sheahan:

From the very start, there has hardly ever been a crisis that we have faced that has caused more concern for every individual, not just our 250 staff at the meat plants. From the very start, all of us were concerned because we were dealing with something with which we did not know what to expect. Naturally, in the early stages, we were all scrambling in the dark dealing with an enemy about which we did not know much. People were concerned about what might happen next, what PPE should they wear, what guidance should they follow in the office and should they stay away from everybody else.

Thankfully, at a very early stage with this issue we issued detailed guidance to all our staff in meat plants. I cannot remember the exact date but it was on or around 16 March. That provided the best guidance we knew at that stage regarding the sort of precautions people would take. Obviously, as time has passed, those guidance documents have been augmented. The work of the national outbreak control team was fantastic. It produced a comprehensive set of documents we could all work with that explained, based on the best public health advice, what measures we should take for our staff as well as the staff in the meat factories. That provided considerable comfort.