COVID-19 outbreak declared among Amy's Kitchen staff

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Public health officials are declaring a COVID-19 outbreak related to a local food manufacturing facility.

Earlier this month, Amy’s Kitchen said a “small number” of employees tested positive for coronavirus. At the time, neither the company nor Jackson County Public Health identified the cases as an “outbreak.” However, on August 19, JCPH said the cases were officially being investigated as an outbreak.

The virus reportedly spread mostly outside of the workplace through “social gatherings among co-workers, family, and friends.”

The company said it has safety precautions in place at their Medford facility, including daily temperature checks, protective gear and protective barriers.

In total, 18 people are involved in the Amy’s Kitchen outbreak.

Amy’s Kitchen released the following statement Wednesday:

Regarding today’s report by the OHA, we can confirm that there has been no spread of COVID-19 traced to an occurrence within our Medford plant. Rising case counts within the state and Jackson County have inevitably resulted in some positive cases among our employees, most traced to household transmission and social gatherings, but we are doing everything we can to protect everyone at work and to promote vigilance in and outside of the plant.

Within our plant, we conduct a variety of safety precautions, including daily temperature checks and symptom screenings, masks and protective gear for all individuals, and increased social distancing and protective barriers, as well as staggered entrance and break times. As we’ve seen more cases contracted outside of the workplace, we’ve provided our employees with additional masks and hand sanitizer for at-home use and have worked diligently to educate and communicate best practices for staying safe outside of the workplace.

The health and safety of our employees is our number one priority, and we have worked very closely in partnership with Jackson County Health Officials since the start of the pandemic to ensure our safety precautions and mitigate spread within our facility. We are so grateful to the county for their tireless work and continued support in helping to protect our employees and our community during this challenging time. Taking care of our people is a core company value at Amy’s Kitchen, and it is our priority throughout this pandemic and beyond.

Jackson County Health Officer Jim Shames explained there’s been a general rise in COVID-19 spread through social gatherings of family and friends. He said, “People assume that because they are home, with family and friends, that they are safe, that it is a trusted environment, therefore they aren’t at risk for contracting COVID-19.” That assumption would be false, according to health experts.

Along with news of the outbreak, Jackson County Public Health said there were 24 new cases of COVID-19 in the county as of 12:01 a.m. on August 19. This represents the highest daily number of new cases and brings the total local count to 618.

Officials said the county’s case count continues to rise, with an average of 13.3 cases per day during the week of August 8. So far this week, there has been an average of 20.3 cases per day.

For more information about Jackson County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit http://jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/COVID-19