Four samples – three from employees at the St Albert Cheese Cooperative and another in a separate single case – screened positive for the variants on Friday. In a statement, the EOHU said staff were using contact tracing methods to determine the source of the infections. The exact type of variant has not yet been determined.

The cooperative closed on Thursday as a precaution and would remain shut over the weekend. All employees were tested and the EOHU said there was no threat to the general public from the outbreak.