Total number of Covid cases at Golden mushroom plant may be between forty and fifty

The total number of Covid-19 positive cases at the Walsh Mushroom plant in Golden could reach between forty and fifty when all results are completed.

A total of 29 positive Covid cases have been confirmed at Walsh’s Mushroom plant in Golden and that figure is expected to rise to between 40 and 50 when all results from the testing process are in.

Operations at the mushroom plant in Golden were suspended last Friday and the plant remains closed after it emerged that up to 29 staff members tested positive for the virus.

One staff member tested positive last week and further testing was carried out.

That resulted in another ten staff being told on Friday that they had Covid -19.

A further eighteen staff among the 170 strong workforce were tested positive on Saturday at a temporary testing facility built on the local church grounds set up by the HSE with the assistance of the Defence Forces .

That centre has now been taken down but follow-up tests will be conducted next weekend to establish if the outbreak has been limited or if the virus is still spreading among the workforce and their close contacts.

In a statement, the company said the level of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases found at its plant is a “concern”.

“All staff will be re-tested according to the HSE advice on day 7 and day 14,” the company confirmed.

The company said it was using the temporary closure of the business to do a “deep clean” at the facility.

“The safety, well-being, and protection of our employees, their families and the local community is our number one priority,” the company stated.

Testing completed at Walsh Mushroom plant in Golden