One of the largest U.S. meat processors, Smithfield Foods, said it will conduct “deep cleaning and sanitization,” beginning on Saturday at the South Dakota pork plant where more than 80 of 3,700 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. The three-day halt in production at the plant in Sioux Falls follows reports of four Covid-19 deaths of meat plant workers nationwide.
“During this time, essential personnel will repeat the rigorous deep cleaning and sanitization that have been ongoing at the facility and install additional physical barriers to further enhance social distancing,” said Smithfield. The company said it would suspend operations in a large part of the plant on Saturday and completely shutter the facility on Sunday and Monday.
The chief executive of JBS USA said that at least 15 workers at the company’s plant in Greeley, Colorado, are infected with the coronavirus but said he was confident the plant is safe, reported the Denver Post. A supervisor at the plant died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to family members. A labor union said two workers at a Tyson Foods poultry plant in Camilla, Georgia, have died from Covid-19, and that “many are sick or in quarantine.” A third worker at the Camilla plant died on Thursday, said the New York Times.
“The industry’s response for the most part has been only recent, sporadic, and limited to a few locations, leaving most workers unprotected,” said the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union earlier this week. It said “workers debone chickens elbow-to-elbow, with no access to masks” at the Camilla plant.
A trade group, the National Chicken Council, responded that “chicken processors are doing everything they can to keep their employees safe and work to keep chicken on the shelves — in that order.”
Agriculture and food production have been identified as essential industries during the coronavirus public health emergency.
“Some of the most important people are working in food supply,” said Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, before referring to reports of “worker absenteeism” that forced some plants to close temporarily. “And we need you to continue, as a part of what we call our critical infrastructure, to show up and do your job, and know that we’re going to continue to work tirelessly in working with all of your companies to make sure that that workplace is safe.”
“Not operating is not an option. People need to eat,” said Smithfield chief executive Kenneth Sullivan in announcing the three-day shutdown in Sioux Falls. The meat processor said it was taking “many steps” to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
The South Dakota secretary of health said on Wednesday that more than 80 Smithfield employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. The Smithfield plant accounts for one-fifth of the coronavirus cases in South Dakota, said the Argus Leader. The three-day closure was expected to affect market prices for hogs in the region, said the newspaper.