Tiger Brands have confirmed that twelve of their employees tested positive for COVID-19 at their Albany Bakery Durban branch.
The company posted its statement on Twitter, confirming the temporary closure of their bakery as a precautionary measure after some staff tested positive for the virus.
Food safety remains our number one priority following the precautionary temporary closure of one of our bakeries in Durban.
Read our full statement on the expert opinions regarding this matter here: https://t.co/oWJyQwZDVE. pic.twitter.com/PF5C6Ta1TE
— Tiger Brands (@TigerBrands) April 16, 2020
Tiger Brands says they have taken a decision in the interest of the health and safety of all its employees at the bakery.
The company, in a statement, said an employee informed them of flu-like symptoms at the beginning of this month.
The employee was advised to get medical attention and a test was conducted. The results came back positive on Thursday 9 April. The company says all employees who had come into close contact with the individual were identified and sent for precautionary testing and self-isolation as they were asymptomatic.
Tiger Brands has assured customers that they are safe as their bread manufacturing is highly automated from mixing, baking, slicing, sealing into tamper-proof bags and crating.
Meanwhile, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is calling on the eThekwini municipality to make sure that all staff are protected after a Durban Solid Waste employee tested positive for COVID-19.
“We have one member who tested positive. She is a patient who was attended to at St Augustine’s Hospital, ” says Samwu eThekwini Regional Secretary Xolani Dube.
As the number of cases continues to surge, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) KwaZulu-Natal Secretary Edwin Mkhize says unions must not be left out in fighting against COVID-19.
