Cargill Protein closed down its plant in Hazleton, Pa., on Tuesday, and it will reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Hazleton facility is 225,000 square feet and employs 900 making case-ready ground beef, beef and pork products.
“Our goal is to keep our 900 employees healthy and minimize risk within the Hazleton community, which has been greatly impacted by COVID-19,” the company said in a statement.
In the statement, Jon Nash, Cargill Protein–North America said, “This was a difficult decision for our team, but our values are guiding our actions. We’ve taken extra steps to focus on safety and remain operational, including temporary wage increases, bonuses and waiving co-pays for COVID-19 testing. We also implemented additional safety measures. Our facility will re-open as soon as is it is safe to do so.
“While this location is closed and we adapt to operating during a pandemic, our work doesn’t stop. Cargill provides an essential service. We are working with farmers and ranchers, our customers and our employees to supply food in this time of crisis and keep markets moving.”