National Frozen Foods still facing questions amid closure

The plant announced it would temporarily shut down after eight employees tested positive for COVID-19.

They're deep cleaning the national frozen foods plant in albany -- that's been shut down because of coronavirus.

They're also testing employees.

As kezi 9 news reporter andrew haubner shows us, the hope is the numbers don't get any higher... official updated numbers from linn county public health haven't been released since april 24th...when 8 employees of national frozen foods tested positive for covid-19.

Local teamsters leader michael berenbaum...whose local represents 270 national employees...underst ands the need for transparency but believes the silence from public health is being done to prevent a panic.

Michael berenbaum: there needs to be transparency but i understand their position.

They're trying to avoid people running around saying this is the next smithfield foods or the next tyson foods and this is not that.

While the plant has shut down most of its packaging line, the state of oregon says there is no need for a recall, and in a release the state says there is no evidence human or animal food- or food packaging- can transmit covid-19.

A source within the plant told kezi 9 news...there was some concern about national acting too slowly and that the case numbers could increase now that widespread testing has been applied to plant employees.

Berenbaum hopes that isn't the case.

Michael: hopefully this thing is caught early and resolved and as soon as everybody's test results come back and they come back to work, we hopefully won't have another case.

National frozen foods...and the oregon health authority did not return calls for comment.

The linn county public health department said a press release might come out tomorrow.

In albany...andrew haubner...kezi 9 news.