SOLON, Ohio — Sixty-seven employees at the Nestlé campus in Solon have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last two weeks, the company confirmed to 3News Investigates' Rachel Polansky.
Officials say approximately 1,000 employees were tested in total, with less than 7% of them having the coronavirus. Nestlé noted this is much lower than the current community positivity rate of more than 15% (although it's still somewhat high for a single location), and that it regularly tests employees in an attempt to account for potential asymptomatic cases.
Get the latest COVID-19 updates from 3News here
In this instance, the company decided to perform mass testing after Thanksgiving, which health experts feared would bring increased community spread of the virus. In light of the most recent results, the facility is continuing with its protocols designed to limit spread, but for the moment work operations are still ongoing.
Nestlé released the following statement:
"At Nestlé, our top concern continues to be the health, safety and security of our people. This while working to ensure food is available on store shelves across the country and supporting our local communities. As expected with any large organization that has essential workers, we have had employees test positive for COVID. When cases arise we have strict protocols in place to keep our employees and facilities safe. We have also taken several precautionary measures across all of our locations including increased cleaning and sanitation, daily temperature and health screenings, mask requirements, and social distancing practices."
Cuyahoga County remains one of the epicenters for the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, with more than 53,000 reported infections and 822 deaths.
Stay with 3News for updates as this story develops.
