MILLSBORO, DEL. – Mountaire Farms Inc. confirmed on April 1 that an employee at its Selbyville, Del., facility tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The company said the person has not been at work for 13 days and last worked at the facility on March 18. Mountaire said the employee is recovering at a local hospital and is expected to be released soon.

According to Delaware Health Department guidelines, 15 employees who may have worked closely with the employee were sent home on March 31. Mountaire said none of those employees were showing signs of illness and their temperatures were normal. Because the person who tested positive has been out for 13 days, the other 15 will remain out of the facility for one more day per the Health Department’s recommended 14-day quarantine period.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with this employee and their family, and we are grateful that this individual is recovering,” said Phillip Plylar, president of Mountaire Farms. “Our teams have been ready for this and we don’t expect this to interrupt our operations. We’ve enacted our COVID-19 action plan and are taking all necessary precautions to protect our workforce.”

Mountaire said it is disinfecting its facilities every night and redoubling its efforts to clean and disinfect common areas and cafeterias.