Red Deer mayor, union leaders concerned over growing cases in the city

RED DEER (660 NEWS) – The mayor of Red Deer said she is “deeply concerned” about an escalation in COVID-19 cases in her city.

Nearly 200 of the 420 active cases in Red Deer have been linked to the Olymel pork processing plant, which temporarily shut down due to an outbreak of coronavirus.

RELATED: Olymel temporarily shuts Alberta pork plant with COVID-19 outbreak

Veer spoke at a news conference Wednesday morning saying it’s critical now more than ever for people to follow public health orders.

“As a community, we’re among the highest numbers that we’ve had throughout the pandemic and it’s absolutely imperative, particularly in this window of time where perhaps individuals are asymptomatic, that people truly engage with the health protocols.”

Veer added the city is working to prevent community spread.

Meanwhile, the head of the union representing workers at the plant said the province isn’t doing enough.

The UFCW Local 401 held a rally outside the facility Wednesday morning in a show of support for the hundreds of the workers with Olymel.

“We believe that Olymel has ramped up production,” said President of UFCW 401 Thomas Hesse. “They’ve hired hundreds of workers. Workers haven’t been trained. I think if government officials were acting responsibly, they’d listen to the workers themselves and find out what needs to be done.”

WATCH: “A long way to go” for Cargill plant safety says one worker

Hesse is also concerned about more cases at the Cargill meat plant near High River and said the government needs to come up with meaningful best practices, especially in the face of rising numbers of variant cases in Alberta.

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