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Olymel facility given green light to reopen

Last Updated Mar 3, 2021 at 11:45 pm MDT

The Olymel facility in Anjou is seen Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

RED DEER, Alta. – A pork processing plant in central Alberta says it has been given the green light to gradually reopen after a COVID-19 outbreak forced it to shut down for two weeks.

The Olymel facility in Red Deer, Alberta, shut down February 15th due to the outbreak that claimed four lives and infected 515 employees.

In a news release late Wednesday, Olymel says it had been given approval by Alberta Health to begin reopening.

Slaughter operations are scheduled to resume Thursday and cutting room operations on Friday.

Olymel says the reopening will come with a number of strict measures.

The company says Alberta Health experts will be on site when operations resume and will offer rapid testing.

Olymel says it has added more space to the facility to enhance physical distancing.

It says additional staff have been assigned to monitor and enforce the updated measures.

-With files from the Canadian Press