KITCHENER -- A meat packing facility in Guelph has resumed its operations after dealing with a large COVID-19 outbreak.

In a Tuesday morning news release, a representative from Cargill stated that they were back working harvest shifts that morning, are looking to resume fabrication shifts in the New Year, and are working to return to full capacity after that.

On Dec. 17, the facility shut down after Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health said dozens of people at the plant had tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of 143 people have tested positive to date. As of Tuesday, 55 cases were still considered active and 88 were resolved.

"We want to emphasize that employees should be healthy and not had contact with anyone with the COVID-19 virus for 14 day before returning to work," the statement reads in part.

A Cargill representative adds that there has been a full, deep-clean of the facility as additional safety measures remain in place.