TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas food plant temporarily shut down Wednesday after several workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Reser’s Fine Foods plant in Topeka, which makes prepared entrees and side dishes sold at grocery stores, will close for two weeks while all employees get tested.
Reser’s didn’t specify how many employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. A spokeswoman declined to provide further information Wednesday, including how many people work at the site.
Meanwhile, Kansas health officials want to randomly test Sedgwick County residents to track the spread of coronavirus in the area.
The county health department will offer testing to 1,600 random residents next week, KSNW-TV reported.
Residents who get a call from the health department will be offered testing regardless of whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Testing in Sedgwick County will be held June 18 through June 20. Health officials are planning another round of random testing in mid-July to see if the virus spreads.
Kansas has continued to see coronavirus cases and COVID-19-related deaths increase. The state Department of Health and Environment reported Monday that the number of cases had reached 10,011, which was up by 292 or 3% since Friday. The number of deaths jumped 4.5%, up 9 to a total of 217 since the pandemic hit the state in early March.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.