Mitsubishi-owned canned seafood giant Princes confirmed the temporary closure of two of its plants in Mauritius following a COVID-19 outbreak among its workers.

A total of 65 workers recently tested positive for coronavirus, however none are reporting any severe symptoms.

Mauritius' Ministry of Health (MOH) placed all of the hostels that Princes operates for migrant workers into "red zones" and the workers are either isolating within these hostels or have been moved to government run quarantine facilities, said a spokesperson for Princes Tuna Mauritius.

The group's Marine Road site was temporarily closed last week by the MOH and its Riche Terre site is not currently operating due to the shortage of available workers.

"We remain in close contact with the MOH in relation to our sites and hostels and to testing plans," said the spokesperson.

More than 97 percent of Prince's expatriate workers have received at least two doses of vaccination, and 43 percent of its workers in Mauritius are fully vaccinated.

Princes said throughout the pandemic it has implemented sanitary measures and adapted the work environment in line with guidance to minimize the chances of infection within its factories.

"All colleagues that have been able to work from home are doing so and we have taken steps to ensure we have adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our colleagues and implemented measures for socially distanced transport to and from work for our key workers in Mauritius," Neil Bohannon, group director of fish at Princes, told IntraFish last year.

"We are extremely grateful to all our colleagues in manufacturing roles who are working tirelessly to ensure we continue to play our part in sustaining the food and drink supply chain during these exceptional circumstances."

Princes supplies a range of canned seafood products into the UK and Ireland markets, including tuna, wild salmon, mackerel and sardines.