Two employees at Frito-Lay plant in Perry test positive for coronavirus, company confirms

Two PepsiCo employees at Frito-Lay’s manufacturing site in Perry have tested positive for COVID-19, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The employees are quarantined and receiving medical care consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement issued by Frito-Lay.

Citing privacy laws, the manufacturer declined to release additional details about the employees.

“The safety of our products, employees, and community remains our top priority. We have taken all necessary steps to identify and notify individuals who worked closely with the employees and have asked them to self-quarantine at home for a period of 14 days. The employees did not come in contact with product and there is no food safety risk,” the statement reads. “As a result, the facility remains open and we have conducted a deep cleaning of the contacted areas and equipment based on CDC guidelines and using EPA-approved registered products for COVID-19.”

Frito-Lay declined to say how many workers are self-quarantined due to possible exposure to COVID-19 from the two employees.

“All we can share is within the statement due to privacy laws,” Frito-Lay stated in an email.

The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously have indicated that there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19, the manufacturer noted in the statement.

”PepsiCo continues to enforce already strict preventive safety and sanitation measures in all our locations,” according to the statement.

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 11:39 AM.