You are right to say that there are issues in some plants because the nature of these jobs puts workers very close to each other. In the beginning, before all the protective measures could be implemented, there was some contamination, yes.
Here is how it works in processing plants. It is the employer's responsibility to implement good protective measures, as recommended by the local public health agency, which is often a provincial entity. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is only responsible for food safety. These three partners will obviously work together and share all the information required. We want to ensure that our inspectors at the agency are well protected and that they work in a safe environment.
Through various Canadian partnerships and funding to the provinces, initiatives have been launched to provide financial assistance to businesses so they can implement these measures to protect their workers.