Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell. Photo / File
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell. Photo / File
Fonterra Cooperative Group won't be removing controls too early even if the government does loosen the lockdown conditions early next week.
"Should the alert be revised to level 3, it will feel much the same as level 4 for Fonterra employees," chief executive Miles Hurrell said.
Fonterra is "taking acautious approach and not removing controls too early," he said.
This means only those considered "essential workers" will be in the workplace and strict safety controls will remain in place for those people, he said, pointing to temperature testing, the use of personal protective equipment, and the two-metre rule as examples of the dairy company's efforts.
Fonterra was declared an essential service under level 4 and able to continue working under strict conditions.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern outlined high-level guidelines for the looser restrictions before Cabinet decides whether to ease the pandemic settings on Monday.
Fonterra is well aware of the risks. Last week, it had to temporarily close its Edendale distribution centre in Southland for 48 hours to allow for deep cleaning after two workers tested positive for Covid-19. Both appeared to be linked to a local outbreak known as the Bluff cluster.
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The cluster, which is one of the two largest in New Zealand, is directly linked to a wedding that took place on March 21. There are 92 cases that form part of the Bluff cluster, including three new cases in the past 24 hours, data from the Ministry of Health shows.
New Zealand currently has a total of 1,401 confirmed and probable cases.
Fonterra's facility re-opened last Thursday and no more Fonterra employees have tested positive. The Edendale situation "reinforced the importance of everyone following Covid-19 safety precautions, both at home and at work," a spokesperson said.
