Fears Castlemaine Don Smallgoods workers have spread COVID-19 at Bendigo, Maryborough

Two positive tests have been linked to a Castlemaine meat processor, sparking fears the virus may have unknowingly spread to employees who travel to work from nearby country towns such as Bendigo.

There are fears the coronavirus has spread to country towns after a Don Smallgoods Castlemaine worker tested positive.

There are fears staff at a Castlemaine meat processor could have spread the deadly coronavirus in Bendigo and Maryborough as many travel from the regions to work at the factory.

It comes after Castlemaine recorded two positive coronavirus connected to Don Smallgoods — a worker and a close contact of the employee.

The factory on Friday confirmed the infected worker was isolating at home after returning a positive test on Thursday.

The employee’s last shift was on July 17.

One outraged woman said possibly infected colleagues could have been spreading the disease between July 17 and July 23.

“The staff that worked next to him were only told (on Thursday) so that is six days they may of (sic) been out in the public spreading it,” the woman said on the Goldfields Group Facebook page.

But one employee, who did not want to be named, told the Leader that managers were “doing their best” to keep workers safe.

“They’re taking it very seriously and in best thoughts for their workers and the public,” he said.

“If only some workers took it as seriously as management does.”

Following the announcement of the pandemic earlier in the year, the Castlemaine facility reduced physical meetings, banned external visitors and increased sanitation and cleaning regimes.

Management also implemented workforce zoning to reduce movement and interaction across the factory while practising social distancing and installed screens surrounding particular workstations where contact was a higher risk.

A Don KR spokeswoman said the facility would be closed temporarily as testing was arrangement for each employee at Bendigo Health and Maryborough District Health.

“We will re-open when it is safe to do so,” she said.

A DHHS spokeswoman said appropriate cleaning and contact tracing would take place during the closure.

“DHHS is also arranging for other worker testing sites to be set up for and more details will be available shortly,” she said.

“Anyone with symptoms is urged to get tested and isolate.”

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Originally published as Fears Castlemaine Don Smallgoods workers have spread COVID-19 at Bendigo, Maryborough