There are now 17 identified cases of coronavirus linked to a food processing plant in Perth and Kinross, the First Minister has confirmed.
The new cases represent a rise of seven from the 10 reported yesterday.
Nicola Sturgeon said that 15 of those cases are employees at the 2 Sisters facility in Coupar Angus. The other two cases are members of the wider community.
All 900 employees at the poultry company have been told to self-isolate to avoid spreading the virus further.
Speaking yesterday, Sturgeon said: “This is a complex and potentially significant cluster.
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"In addition to the overriding public health concern relating to the outbreak, the closure of the plant potentially, of course, has an economic impact, and we also need to consider possible animal welfare issues."
The plant has been closed for two weeks and a mobile testing unit manned by the military set up while the staff are tested for coronavirus.
NHS Tayside Public Health was first alerted to the outbreak on Sunday.
Birmingham-based 2 Sisters, which is one of the UK's biggest food manufacturing companies, employs about 18,000 people and has an estimated annual turnover of £3 billion.
This is not the first 2 Sisters facility to have an outbreak of Covid-19. A similar plant in Llangefni on Anglesey was closed in June after more than 200 cases of the virus were recorded amongst its employees.
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