Report: 22% of Tyson Workers at Iowa Pork Plant Positive for COVID-19, Facility to Temporarily Shut Down
Yesterday Tyson Foods, Inc. announced that it would temporarily close its pork plant located in Storm Lake, Iowa following a significant number of employees testing positive for coronavirus. According to Reuters, an Iowa state official placed the positive COVID-19 count at 555 workers at the facility—this accounts to 22% of employees.
Attend the on-demand complimentary webinar: “Is Your Plant COVID-19 Safe?”The company stated that it would reopen next week after “deep cleaning and sanitizing the entire facility.”
The meat industry has been struggling with worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic for months. While there have been calls for more transparency in the number of COVID-19 cases among facility workers, the information has not been freely flowing. For example, this week Sarah Reisetter, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Health, told the media the following: “Businesses are not currently required to report an outbreak to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Additionally, Iowa law allows confirmation of outbreaks only when necessary to protect the health of the public.”
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