Migrant Workers for Hancock Blueberry Plant Positive for COVID-19
The Maine CDC reports an outbreak of COVID-19 at a facility in Hancock that processes Maine blueberries.
Dr. Nirav Shah said five workers have tested positive at the Hancock Foods plant, "as part of a proactive series of testing measures undertaken at the facility to identify cases.' A company spokesperson told the BDN that Hancock Foods employs migrant workers for its operations and tested all of them for COVID-19 before they were allowed to start work. All five cases were among that group of employees. Dr. Shah says additional testing is now underway and the CDC is offering support services to employees.
The workers were bought in to help bring in the harvest, but will now be quarantined under the supervision of the Maine Mobile Health Program. Company officials say they will not be bringing in more migrant workers, but will use local people to fill the blueberry raker jobs.
Hancock Foods is owned by Allen's Blueberry Freezer of Ellsworth.