Tiger Brands has shut down its Durban bakery on Wednesday after 12 workers tested positive for COVID-19. It's believed that the workers may have contracted the virus from an employee who tested positive for the virus last Thursday. Tiger brands said all the infected employees worked in the administration department and were not involved with the production and delivery of food.

The group said consumers would not be affected by the closure. Spokesperson Nevashnie Naicker said: “Our bread manufacturing process is highly automated all the way from mixing to baking to slicing.

We have also put in place specific protocols to mitigate any environmental or surface contamination in the event of a positive COVID-19 case.” Naicker said the food manufacturing group was guided by research from the Health Department and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to ensure that they deliver safe food for consumption by customers.

Spokesperson Nevashnie Naicker has stressed that there is currently no indication that the coronavirus is transmitted through food.