TEN CASES AT CHICKEN FACTORY
COVID BLOW
A BREAKWATER chicken plant has closed after 10 workers tested positive to coronavirus.
Staff at the Golden Farms chicken-processing plant — owned by the Turosi group — were sent a message yesterday saying 400 tests were carried out on Friday, with 10 confirmed cases.
It is understood the plant will close for two weeks, effective immediately.
While employees will be paid for today, it is unclear whether they will be paid for the rest of the shutdown time.
News of the outbreak came on the same day it was revealed a worker from a Highton aged-care home had tested positive and several local schools announced they would shut their doors today as a result of concerns over the virus.
A BREAKWATER chicken plant has closed after 10 workers tested positive to coronavirus.
Staff at the Golden Farms chicken processing plant — owned by Turosi Group — received a message on Monday stating 400 tests were carried out last Friday, with 10 confirmed cases.
It is understood the plant will close for two weeks, effective immediately.
While employees will be paid for Tuesday, it is unclear whether they will be paid for the rest of the shutdown time.
“Turosi employees will be paid for tomorrow (July 28) as normal and we are working through the options available to staff for the remainder of the shutdown,” the message read.
“We will be providing information to you from Barwon Health that will outline a number of resources (financial, accommodation, food) that will be available to employees.”
The factory shutdown comes after a male employee tested positive for coronavirus last Thursday.
A worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said news of the first case hit staff hard. “When we heard, I just thought, ‘ Oh, no’ because we knew that it was probably going to spread,” he said.
“It has been a scary time, even before now. Because of the way the factory works, with people close together in a cold, damp place, the virus was always at the back of your mind — knowing that if it turned up, there would be consequences.”
The worker said he was nervous about the uncertainty around pay during the closure.
“Two weeks off and I don’t know yet if we have to use our own leave or if the government can help,” he said.
“Not getting paid would really hurt some people. A lot of them live week by week.”
Turosi chief executive Phil Hand said last week the company had undertaken contact tracing.
“Our comprehensive testing and contact tracing of the facility is well under way, and no further cases have been found at this time,” he said.
The plant reported on Sunday that no workers had received a positive diagnosis from the first 67 tests returned.
Turosi did not respond to requests for comment.