Boxtel, 22 May 2020 – Following consultation with the Municipal Health Service (GGD), the Safety Region North and East Gelderland has decided to keep the 600 employees of the Vion abattoir in Groenlo in home quarantine for the next two weeks. The Municipal Health Service had already announced that 45 employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. This decision has been made in order to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Naturally, Vion will cooperate fully and will stay in close contact with all of the employees during this period until they are allowed to resume work. Meat production will be temporarily moved to Vion’s other locations in the Netherlands.
Health comes first and foremost
The Safety Region’s decision has been made in order to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. This drastic measure has been taken to enable the Municipal Health Service to carry out a thorough source and contact investigation. The 600 employees will go into quarantine at home. Ronald Lotgerink, CEO of Vion Food Group: “The health of our employees and that of the inhabitants of this region is our priority. We have been taken by surprise, just as our employees have. We are in close contact with our employees who are in quarantine for the next two weeks. This has a huge impact on our colleagues and we realise that questions will arise: as a vital company, we have taken all the necessary measures to ensure that our employees’ health is protected. We also comply with all the conditions to prevent infection. Despite all these measures, quite a few employees have become infected. This is a new situation for us that is a result of the coronavirus circulating in the border region. As Vion and as sector, we must learn from this and, where necessary, adjust our behaviour and share what we do with each other. As has been done so far, we work closely on this with the various authorities, such as the Safety Region, the Municipal Health Service, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and Inspectorate SZW. And of course, with our employees.”