Dairy Country: Timeline of coronavirus shutdown revealed
A worker at Retail Food Group’s Dairy Country cheese plant in Tullamarine tested positive to coronavirus nearly two weeks before it closed the factory.
RETAIL Food Group’s Dairy Country cheese packing plant in Tullamarine recorded a positive coronavirus test among its workers 12 days before it closed the factory for health reasons.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services told The Weekly Times a positive COVID-19 case was confirmed in one of Dairy Company’s employees at Tullamarine on July 11.
That was well before two more cases forced the company to shut its factory on July 23, prompting a deep clean of the plant and all its staff being sent for coronavirus testing.
The factory, which packs the Mainland cheese brand for Fonterra and the Hillview brand for Woolworths, did not reopen until July 29.
In answer to questions by The Weekly Times why RFG did not close the factory on July 11, a spokeswoman said that “Dairy Country has been working closely with the health authorities who have signed off on their handling of the incident”.
DHHS would not say why the factory was allowed to stay open from July 11 to July 23.
RFG would not confirm whether the factory had reopened with a full complement of staff.
A source told The Weekly Times a number of its employees had family members infected with COVID-19.
RFG also said its was exempt from new restrictions affecting food processing plants and other business in Melbourne announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday.
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