Irish Dog Foods, owned by Arrow Group which is controlled by the Queally family who are also shareholders in Dawn Meats, closed its factory in Kildare last Friday due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among workers.

On Thursday, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that 18 of the 85 new cases of COVID-19 in Ireland were in the Irish Dog Foods factory.

Irish Dog Foods has been informed that a number of employees in Naas have tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson for the company said.

“The individuals involved are now self-isolating and we remain in contact with them to ensure they have the support they require.

We are working closely with the HSE and will continue to follow their advice at all times in how we manage this issue

“We are working closely with the HSE and will continue to follow their advice at all times in how we manage this issue.

“In consultation with the HSE, we have closed the facility in question to enable a deep cleaning to be carried out.”

Measures

The spokesperson added that staff well-being and safety is “paramount” for the company.

“We have a full range of measures in place, including appropriate PPE, enhanced cleaning and hygiene regimes, social distancing measures, temperature screening and regular staff health and hygiene training and communications to help combat the virus.”

Cases

On Thursday, there was one new death in Ireland related to COVID-19 and 85 confirmed new cases.

To date, 1,763 people have died from the virus, with over 26,000 confirmed cases.

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