BRENHAM, Texas » Blue Bell Creameries says it will close all three of its creameries in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama for intensive cleaning and employee training in response to listeria illnesses linked to its ice cream.

In a statement Thursday, the Brenham-based creamery said the program comes after a thorough review of its operations and discussions with an expert microbiologist.

The creameries will be closed next week and possibly into the following week. Ice cream produced this week will be used for testing and gathering baseline data and won’t be sold to the public.

Blue Bell announced a complete recall of all of its products Monday after its ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths, and listeria was found in several of the company’s products.