Two COVID-19 cases identified in a Portage la Prairie potato processing plant

WINNIPEG — Two employees at a potato processing in Portage la Prairie have tested positive for COVID-19, and 14 are in self-quarantine.

On Thursday evening, J.R. Simplot confirmed employees had tested positive for COVID-19 within the Portage la Prairie plant.

Josh Jordan, the manager of communications and public relations for Simplot, said the company was notified on Monday that one employee tested positive.

He said 12 other employees who had been in contact with the person either in or outside of work, had been identified and tested.

Jordan said one of the tests came back positive, and nine came back negative. He said they are still waiting for the results of two tests.

He said based on these results, 14 employees have been tested and are now in self-quarantine.

"Upon notification of the positive test we immediately performed a complete cleaning of all areas of the plant where the person had been," Jordan said in a written statement to CTV News.

"Since early March we have implemented a number of procedures aimed at keeping our employees safe."

Jordan said this includes travel restrictions for employees, eliminating non-essential visits to the site, temperature testing for all employees and essential visitors, self-screening, and physical distancing requirements and extra cleaning in high traffic areas.

Rural Portage currently has four cases of COVID-19, according to provincial data.

-with files from CTV's Stephanie Tsicos