The Rock Island County Health Department in Illinois Wednesday said an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Tyson beef processing plant in Joslin has been linked to 92 confirmed cases, and two workers have died, according to local media reports.
A Rock Island County official said the county health department is conducting contact tracing to minimize infections outside of the plant, and the company has installed glass barriers between workers, staggered shifts and lunch breaks, and required face shields to be worn at all times, according to a report by KWQC.
Tyson announced Wednesday it is doubling bonuses, increasing short-term disability coverage and implementing additional health screening measures.
The company is offering $120 million in “thank you bonuses” for 116,000 U.S. frontline workers and truckers, up from the $60 million announced in early April. It is moving up the first $500 bonus payment to early May. The second $500 bonus will be paid in July. Team members who cannot come to work due to illness or child care will continue to qualify, but bonus eligibility will depend on attendance.
To encourage workers to stay home when sick, Tyson is increasing short-term disability coverage to 90% of normal pay until June 30, 2020. The waiting period to qualify is waived. The company, which has been checking worker temperatures, will now also screen for symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath, have monitors at each facility to help enforce social distancing, and require use of company-provided face coverings.
Tyson also has announced it is temporarily closing its Robards, Ky., processing plant to conduct additional cleaning and sanitation programs, according to a company statement released through the Henderson County Facebook page. Production will be halted for at least four days starting April 30, affecting an estimated 1,300 employees, according to the statement attributed to plant manager Ron Chapman. Media reports last week said that more than 50 employees at the Tyson facility tested positive for COVID-19, according to local health department officials.
In Maine, health officials announced Wednesday that eight workers at the Tyson Foods plant in Portland have tested positive for the virus, WMTW reported.
Cargill on Wednesday announced a decision, in conjunction with the Alberta Health Services and Occupational, Health and Safety, to resume operations at its High River, Alberta, beef plant with one shift beginning May 4.
During the plant’s 14-day temporary closure, the company said it implemented additional safety measures including reducing the likelihood of carpooling, limiting access to the plant to two people per car sitting in the front and back seat, providing buses retrofitted with protective barriers between seats, adding more barriers in bathrooms, reassigned lockers for spacing, and conducting an extensive COVID-19 sanitation process.
In North Carolina, WITN reported that 58 employees at the Butterball plant in Duplin County have tested positive for COVID-19. The television station cited company memos it obtained.
Hormel Corp. announced that its Fontanini Foods plant in McCook, Ill., will furlough 150 of its 500 workers May 4, due to a “dramatic decline” in foodservice business amid the coronavirus pandemic. The facility produces Italian meats, sausages and premium meat products including pizza toppings and meatballs. The affected employees will continue to receive health and welfare benefits during the furlough.
Jennie-O Turkey Store Inc. plans to pause operations at its Melrose, Minn., plant in order to launch a facility-wide cleaning designed to enhance current safety and sanitation protocols. The Hormel Corp. subsidiary is working with local and state health experts on testing workers and providing additional safety assurances, Jennie-O said in a news release. As of April 27, 19 of the facility’s 750 employees had tested positive for COVID-19, and the company is taking actions to manage its supply chain, including serving customers from other facilities. Hormel took similar steps at two Jennie-O facilities in Willmar, Minn., after 14 workers out of 1,200 tested positive for COVID-19.
Seaboard Corp. announced that 11 employees at the Seaboard Triumph Foods joint venture in Sioux City, Iowa, tested positive for COVID-19, but have been away from the plant since they were tested earlier this month. The pork plant employs about 2,000 people and processes more than 20,000 hogs daily, according to the Sioux City Journal. The company said preventative measures and resources are being employed to help maintain the plant’s slaughter operations.
The reversal of a decision by Smithfield Foods to keep a Crete, Neb., plant open reportedly prompted a brief walkout by about 50 workers this week, according to media reports. Smithfield planned to temporarily close the pork processing facility because of COVID-19, but reversed course by launching a reduced schedule instead. A representative of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 293 said the impromptu walkout represented the concerns of the workers, who say the company isn’t being transparent in addressing the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report in the Lincoln Journal Star.
To access Meatingplace’s ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here. To access our map of processing plants that have reported positive tests among employees, have closed and/or have reopened, click here.