C OVID outbreak prompts pork plant shutdown

OLYMEL FACILITY CLOSING TEMPORARILY

Olymel has announced it is temporarily closing a pork plant in central Alberta where health officials say hundreds of COVID-19 cases are now connected with an outbreak at the facility.

In a statement, the company said management no longer believes its hog slaughtering, cutting and deboning plant in Red Deer can be operated safely and efficiently.

Alberta Health has been notified of 343 cases linked to this outbreak. Of these, 200 are active, 142 recovered. One worker has died.

The company had earlier said the outbreak began in November, but it wasn’t until Jan. 20 that there was a significant rise in infections and one person later died.

Alberta Health Services said inspectors visited the site multiple times since the outbreak.

“Olymel sincerely hopes that all employees at the Red Deer plant who have tested positive for COVID-19 soon regain their health. The company will follow up with all employees to ensure their quarantine period is being respected and will strongly encourage all staff to get tested before returning to work,” a statement on Monday said.

“Olymel will also continue ongoing investigations to determine what may have caused such a large outbreak of Covid-19 cases since January 20.”

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 president Thomas Hesse said the union is relieved after it had been calling for a closure for weeks, but he said there’s no word on whether the 1,850 workers will be paid while the plant is shut.

He said the union is investigating if the workers qualify for existing government assistance programs.

“They’ve come to their senses and agreed to hit the pause button,” Hesse said in a phone interview.

“The workers are finally feeling relief. They’re scared to death. Now we have to figure out the pay issue,” he added, noting the union has called for a meeting Thursday with management but hadn’t heard back.

AHS spokeswoman Heather Kipling said Tuesday nurses and contact tracers with experience in communicable disease control are helping manage the outbreak at the plant.

The health agency is continuing to support Olymel's efforts to remind staff to follow public health orders, Kipling said.

The health agency is also arranging for ongoing testing to monitor for asymptomatic spread.

“We are also working with community partners to provide support and education to employees and their families, including connecting individuals to family physicians, isolation assistance, and other social supports as required.”

Olymel said in its statement that over the next few days, plant management will “mobilize the staff necessary to cease operations and complete the facility closure as soon as possible.”

It said it has also informed hog suppliers about the closure and has suspended deliveries until further notice.

It said the closure period is “indefinite.”