Company holding off on sending 365 additional processing workers to remote facility in Akutan, Alaska.
The Seattle Times reports that four employees have tested positive for coronavirus. The workers, all roommates, They had all undergone a full 14-day quarantine and tested negative for the virus before flying to their jobs in Akutan, Alaska. One had to be evacuated by air to a hospital in Anchorage, 766 miles (1,233 km) away after he had difficulty breathing.
Trident Seafoods’ Akutan facility processes over 1300 tonnes of seafood, including king salmon, a day.
According to a Trident Seafoods statement released Monday, via the publication, the company said it was holding off on sending 365 additional processing workers to Akutan.
“This is the first known occurrence of the virus in a Trident Alaska processing facility,” said Trident Seafoods spokesperson Stefanie Moreland.
During the beginning of the outbreak in March, Trident Seafoods put in new measures meaning that crews delivering to the facility must stay on their boats, no new employees will start at the plant, and current employees are restricted from visiting the town. If they leave the facility, they cannot re-enter.
