Beef plant reopens, pork plant closes (The Gazette): A beef plant in Tama, Iowa, resumed production Monday after being idled for two weeks due to an outbreak of Covid-19 among its workers. Reuters reports a pork processing plant in Minnesota owned by meatpacker JBS USA closed indefinitely after at least 26 cases of Covid-19 were linked to the plant.
Don’t fence me in (New York Times): Urban professionals, already weary of high prices, are beginning to wonder if they need to live in town when the pandemic has shown they can do their jobs digitally from smaller cities, suburbs and exurbs.
Illinois and Arizona get more food assistance (USDA): With the addition of Illinois and Arizona, six states have USDA approval of plans to provide Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer assistance to low-income families whose children have lost access to free or reduced-price meals due to school closures; the other states are Michigan, Rhode Island, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
‘Day of action’ on SNAP (FRAC): Anti-hunger groups, including the Food Research and Action Center, called a “national day of action” for Wednesday to urge lawmakers to boost SNAP benefits by 15 percent in the next coronavirus relief bill and to suspend three USDA proposals that would narrow eligibility for food stamps.