DON KR Castlemaine says workers who tested positive for COVID-19 did not contract the virus on its premises after 30 employees began isolating at home.
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Four employees have tested positive and the company said government contact tracers had linked them to an exposure site elsewhere in the community.
"One employee tested positive on 5 October and three tested positive on 7 October," the company said in a statement.
"In both instances, close contacts were immediately identified and alerted, followed by a wider update to all DON employees."
Another 30 employees have been deemed close contacts and are getting tested and isolating as directed by health authorities, the company said.
DON KR's Castlemaine site was linked to an outbreak in 2020, when a wave of COVID-19 spread through a number of Victorian workplaces and schools.
That outbreak forced temporary closures and operational changes both at DON KR and other meatworks across the state and, for a time, the risk that Australia could see a meat shortage.
This time around, the company says 85 per cent of its Castlemaine workforce is fully vaccinated.
It does not expect any unexpected closures.
"Due to the strict COVID-19 safeguards we have in place as part of our industry leading COVID Safe Plan and ongoing consultation with [the Department of Health], we are confident that we can continue to provide a safe workplace and there will be minimal impact on our operations at this stage," the company said.
"Our Castlemaine operations remain open."
That said, the company is preparing to shut down its bacon processing plant over the weekend for maintenance that was planned before Castlemaine workers tested positive.
"This is going ahead as scheduled," DON KR said in its statement.
The news comes in a period when COVID-19 is spreading at record high rates.
Yesterday, a record 1838 people tested positive for the virus in Victoria.
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