Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in a self-contained part of the Johnson Matthey site in Royston,

Three staff members tested positive for the virus last week – all three are based at a self-contained unit at JM, where around 100 people work.

Today, the business confirmed to the Crow a fourth person was self-isolating after showing symptoms yesterday and is awaiting test results.

A Johnson Matthey spokesperson told the Crow: “Johnson Matthey confirms that three members of our team working in a self-contained, secure-entry unit on our Royston site have regrettably been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“These individuals are self-isolating at home, and we wish them a speedy recovery.

“A further individual has informed us that they started to exhibit symptoms yesterday and are self-isolating at home while awaiting test results.

“We can also confirm that, as a result of employees following our social distancing protocols, no other employees are currently showing symptoms.

“Two additional employees have been asked to self-isolate, and this is as a precaution only.

“Public Health England has been made aware that we have positive cases and we are in discussion with them.

“We have strict social distancing protocols, cleaning regimes and temperature checks in place at the unit and across the whole of the Royston site.

“The health and safety of our people is our top priority and as a precautionary measure, we temporarily vacated the manufacturing section of the factory on Friday.

“This allowed a profession deep clean of the factory and the facility being unoccupied for over 72 hours.

“The factory reopened on Monday morning as usual. There are around 100 employees of the impacted building who are being regularly informed.”

The Royston site in Orchard Road is JM’s UK headquarters and the town’s largest firm with 2,000 people employed there.

After the national outbreak of coronavirus earlier this year, the business donated space at one its sites for 8,000 ventilators to be assembled in the effort to beat medical equipment shortages at the height of the first peak of the pandemic.