Coronavirus Outbreaks Temporarily Shutter 3 LA County Food Plants

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Three Los Angeles County food plants were forced to temporarily close after dozens of their employees contracted coronavirus.

Golden State Foods Corp. in the City of Industry had 43 cases of the coronavirus, S&S Foods in Azusa had 58 cases and Mission Foods in Commerce had 40 cases, according to L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer Monday and the department's website.

"They had significant outbreaks among their employees," Ferrer said in a briefing Monday, noting that all three had 40-plus COVID-19 cases and had not notified the county as required.

This comes after at least 375 employees at Los Angeles Apparel's garment manufacturing facilities in South L.A. tested positive for coronavirus. At least four of them died of the disease.

The plant was shut down on June 27, but was allowed to reopen last week.

L.A. County has recorded 176,028 COVID-19 cases and 4,375 deaths from the disease.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the closures, noting that businesses who are not compliant with regulations could face suspensions.

"Essential workers keep our economy moving, our shelves stocked with food, our hospitals clean -- and they continue to do honorable work. I urge employers to review guidance from the Department of Public Health so they can fulfill their duty to their workers to keep them safe and healthy. If violations result, businesses can be shuttered and, beginning at the end of August, non-complaint businesses will be issued fines ranging from $100 for the first offense to $500 and a 30-day permit suspension after multiple offenses."

RELATED: Employees At Silver Lake Whole Foods Store Contract Coronavirus

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)