A Tippearary councillor has said a COVID-19 outbreak at mushroom plant there is 'a wake up call' for everyone.
Fine Gael Councillor Michael Fitzgerald said the next 48 hours are crucial, as workers at Walsh Mushrooms in the village of Golden undergo tests.
The company said a worker at the plant tested positive after going into self-isolation.
A number of other confirmed cases were then detected among close contacts of the worker at the factory.
Councillor Fitzgerald told Newstalk Breakfast: "There has been 11 cases now tested positive, unfortunately.
"All 170 employees will be tested between today and tomorrow.
"A testing centre has been set up in Golden village in the church car park there by the army, the HSE are there and the local authority are cooperating.
"It's here, it's real and it's in every community - and I suppose people have become a little complacent with the re-opening.
"But for us, it's a shock in a small rural community in Co Tipperary that this kind of thing is so near us now."
"There is a little worry there that, OK if it can be contained within the cluster of the mushroom plant that's OK.
"But unfortunately the next 48 hours are going to be critical when the results of the testing come back, and we'll see where we go then.
"It's a wake-up call for all of us that this thing is still out there, and you may have laxed on the precautions of the washing the hands, the self-distancing, the other sterilisations and everything."
He also said the prospect of a local lockdown is a very real worry.
"That fear is definitely there - the worst-case scenario the HSE people told me yesterday evening is that by Monday evening, Tipperary could be closed down, locked down... hopefully that doesn't happen".
"The mushroom industry is important to Tipperary, it's important to our rural community."
"It's a good employer - not only for the people that work there - but for the off-spin of people that were involved in the construction of the extra tunnels and the disposal of the mushroom compost would all be done by local contractors.
"We have to get to the other side of this this weekend, and hopefully we will.
"But I just want to say that I was amazed as somebody who watched yesterday evening as the institutions of the State - the army, the HSE, the local authority, the Gardaí - how in the flick of a button everything was in place".
In a statement on Friday, Walsh Mushrooms said this was the first outbreak it has had to deal with.
"As a business, we have stringent measures in place to control COVID-19 since March and we have had no incidence of COVID-19 up to this point".
"We are working with the HSE and all relevant authorities assisting in contact tracing and testing of all staff.
"We will use the opportunity to deep clean the plant during the temporary closure. Essential maintenance will continue at the facility."
The company added that the "safety, well-being and protection of our employees, their families and the local community" is its number one priority.
