VANCOUVER -- A chicken processing plant in Surrey has temporarily closed after some of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Wingtat Game Bird Packers, a meat processor with locations in Surrey and Richmond, says that as of Dec. 11 its Surrey location is closed.
In a statement posted to its website and on social media channels, the company says some of the employees at its Surrey plant have “confirmed, positive cases of COVID-19.”
“They have remained home for isolation since the start of their … symptoms,” reads the statement.
The company does not specify how many employees have tested positive.
The plant's management team is meeting with Fraser Health and the Canada Food Inspection Agency to review onsite safety practices and for “further guidance and recommendations,” the statement continues.
“The public health team’s objective is to ensure that our Surrey establishment is set forth to reopen safely to continue regular operations, while keeping everyone onsite safe.”
Wingtat’s Surrey plant is located just south of Barnston Island, near the intersection of the Trans Canada Highway and Golden Ears Way.
The company also claims that food safety has not been affected, that it is cooperating with authorities, and that its other location remains open.
“Our main office and warehouse facility in Richmond remains open and in operation. In the midst of our province’s second wave, we want to share that this is definitely not how our company and employees want to end this already challenging year,” reads the statement.
