Olymel plant - near Red Deer

By The Canadian Press

Alberta pork plant sees rise in COVID cases, one death, in recent weeks

Feb 8, 2021 | 9:48 AM

HIGH RIVER & RED DEER, AB. – Alberta Health Services is working with the operators of two meat packing plants with COVID-19 outbreaks to ensure safety.

The company that operates a pork processing plant near Red Deer, confirms a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility has grown to nearly 80 cases this weekend.

Richard Vigneault, a spokesman for Olymel, says there was an outbreak at the company’s plant in Red Deer in November, but it wasn’t until Jan. 20 that there was a significant rise in infections.

Vigneault says one person has died and employees were informed of the death on Jan. 28, but he says the company is still waiting on a report on the case and he won’t be commenting further on it now.

The union representing the 1,850 workers at the plant wrote a letter Friday to the facility’s manager, requesting Olymel temporarily shut down the plant for two weeks and pay workers during the time off.

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Vigneault says Olymel has implemented measures to prevent the virus spread with help from provincial health officials, occupational health and safety officials and the union.

He says the company is very sorry to all the staff who have been affected.

Meanwhile, the Cargill, says six employees at its beef facility in High River have recently tested positive for COVID-19, and they are now in isolation and receiving appropriate medical care.

The Cargill plant shut down for two weeks last April because of an outbreak that initially affected 350 of its 22-hundred workers.