Owners of COVID meat plants, illegal workers arrested

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Cyprus police on Wednesday said they arrested the owners and illegal migrants working at two Cyprus abattoirs where COVID-19 was found.

Arrests were made at two Nicosia meat processing plants where COVID was detected among staff, some of which were undeclared or employed illegally.

In the wake of the Cypra meat processing plant scandal, where more than 90 workers tested positive to coronavirus, immigration and labour ministry officials conducted a search Wednesday.

At Cypra, three illegal migrants were arrested along with the owner.

Three undeclared workers were also found.

At the A&A abattoir, seven arrests were made, including six migrants without work permits and the owner.

There were also three undeclared workers at the second facility.

Police said the suspects would be charged and released to appear in court at a later date. They will also be fined.

Attention has turned to meat processing factories after it emerged earlier this month that 92 workers tested positive for coronavirus at the Cypra facility in Kato Moni.

Authorities found that a number of the workers were illegally employed and had been living in containers near the plant.

Several cases were also detected at the A&A facility in Nicosia.

On Tuesday authorities announced that Cypra has been fined €213,500 after 61 undeclared workers were found on its premises, that is €3,500 for every undeclared worker found.

The company has been given 30 days to pay the fine.