Large Co Louth bakery closes temporarily as 17 members of staff hit by Covid-19

Seventeen members of staff in a Co Louth bakery have tested positive for Covid-19 leading to the temporary closure of the business.

McCloskeys' bakery site at Ballymakenny, Drogheda was closed on Friday following the outbreak which occurred last week.

Along with the bakery, retail outlets which sell their products in Drogheda, Navan and Dundalk have been temporarily closed.

The bakery employs close to 200 people across all its outlets.

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The family-owned firm is 80 years old this year and sells its products across Ireland including in Tesco and Supervalu.

In a statement it stated: “In a situation like this our first responsibility is the wellbeing of our workforce. It is also important for us to take the strongest possible public health measures.

“Due to the disruption to our bakery production our six retail outlets will also be temporarily closed.

“It is our intention to reopen our bakery site and our shops at the earliest opportunity.

“Over our 80 year history as a family business Christmas has always been a very important time of year for McCloskeys.

“This year we would ask our customers and friends to bear with us as, like many others, we manage our way through this challenging period.”