Good Morning Britain’s on-screen doctor has addressed the most recent Covid-19 outbreak in the UK.
Dr Sarah Jarvis appeared on the show and was asked about an outbreak at a factory which produces sandwiches for Marks & Spencer.
Nearly 300 workers tested positive at the Greencore factory in Northampton, which employs around 2,100 people.
The TV doctor was asked whether the viruses ability to survive on surfaces is behind the spike.
According to the World Health Organisation, Covid-19 can survive for lengthy periods of time on certain surfaces in certain circumstances.
Dr Sarah told viewers: “Theoretically, even if something is cooked, if the packaging is made up – we know, for instance, in New Zealand they think that the latest outbreak have come through packaging rather than people. Yes there is a risk.
“But it does remind us the virus can survive, I think, for 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on hard metal and hard plastic.
She added: “So we do know that there are risks, we have seen quite a lot of outbreaks in meat processing factories and other various food processing areas.
“Interestingly it’s not always been food but in other countries, for instance, it was a shoe plant.
“In the UK it does seem as though there is a link, we think, between the way people travel to work, where they live.
“A lot of people who work in these processing plants will travel to work together, work together and they’ll come home together.
“They’ll socialise together and often they’ll live together and it may be more to do with that.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
