ROCHELLE, Ill. (WTVO) — The Ogle County Health Department has ordered the Hormel Foods plant to close due to an outbreak of coronavirus at the company.

The Rochelle food plant, at 1001 S Main St, has been told to stop operations.

Health officials say there are 2 dozen cases linked to the facility.

The Ogle County Health Department says it has taken steps to control the outbreak, including recommending more testing and monitoring employees.

More than 800 people work at Hormel. They will be paid during the shutdown.

The factory produces bacon products, deli hams, and microwavable meals.

Hormel Foods issued a statement Friday night.

It reads in full:

Rochelle Foods was issued a notice of closure from the local health department on April 17. We are working to further understand the closure order and are consulting with our legal counsel to understand next steps. We have decided to voluntarily close our facility to ensure a broader understanding of COVID-19 in the Rochelle community, Ogle county and the impact on our operations. Rochelle Foods team members will continue to be paid during the closure. Hormel Foods

The Ogle County Health Department has announced 12 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, the largest single day spike in positive cases recorded for the county.

There are now 41 positive cases in the county, and there has been 1 death so far.

The Illinois Department of Health announced an additional 1,842 cases of coronavirus on Friday, and 62 new deaths in the last 24 hours.

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