New COVID-19 outbreak declared at Cargill meat plant in Alberta — site of Canada's largest outbreak
Source: CBC News
Feb 6 2021 - Company is facing criminal investigation, class-action lawsuit for earlier outbreak
The site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Canada is now facing a new spate of cases.
Alberta Health confirmed there are 11 cases linked to the Cargill meat-processing plant near High River, Alta., as of Saturday. Of those, seven cases are active.
The outbreak began on Dec. 16, 2020, Alberta Health said, and was reported publicly this week when it reached the threshold of five cases.
An outbreak last spring saw at least 950 staff at the facility — nearly half its workforce — test positive.
"This is how the prior Cargill outbreak started. With about 10 cases, and within days it was hundreds of cases, and people were dying," said United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 president Thomas Hesse.
Daniel Sullivan, a spokesperson for Cargill, confirmed that six employees who tested positive are in isolation and are receiving medical care and support.
"At Cargill, the safety of our employees is our top priority. As essential workers, our team is on the front lines of feeding people across our communities," he said in an emailed statement on Saturday.