Cargill's meat processing facility on Dunlop Drive reopened Tuesday morning after temporarily shutting down two weeks ago as positive COVID-19 cases at the plant continued to climb.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reports that as of Tuesday at noon, Cargill’s Dunlop facility has 55 active cases, down from 79 active cases last week.
WDG Public Health also reports that the facility has a total case count of 143 to date, with 88 of those cases already cleared.
Daniel Sullivan, media relations director for Cargill, said the reopening of the facility was done in collaboration with Public Health and the company's union partners.
Sulivan said the company will resume harvest shifts in a measured way Tuesday and Wednesday and then work toward full capacity as it focuses on the safety of its employees. Fabrication shifts will resume on Saturday after the plant is shut on New Year's Day.
“The health and safety of our employees continue to be our top priority,” said Sullivan. "In addition to safety measures we implemented at our facilities months ago, we have taken time during the idle to conduct a full, deep-clean of the facility as an additional step to respond to the community-wide impacts of the virus."
Cargill’s statement on safety can be seen here.
“We are grateful for our team’s dedication and resilience as our facility and community walk through this pandemic together. We are poignantly aware that being an essential worker is not easy. We care about our employees and this community. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues who have been impacted by the virus,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan emphasized that employees should not be in contact with anyone infected with the COVID-19 virus for 14 days before returning to work.
“We are grateful to the local businesses and community members who are showing our team care and support during this challenging time. Our focus now is on keeping people healthy and delivering safe food to people across Canada.”
