Tyson Foods' Wash. beef plant suspends operations after 90 workers infected with COVID-19
WALLULA, Wash. - Tyson Foods is closing down production at its huge meat processing plant near Pasco until further notice so that all employees there can be tested for coronavirus, the company announced Thursday.
The facility, which produces enough beef in one day to feed 4 million people, employs 1,400 workers. But the plant has been struggling in recent days with worker absenteeism, scores of COVID-19 cases and community concerns about infections there, said Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats.
Company officials did not say how many employees have been infected with COVID-19 so far, but the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health reports that more than 90 Tyson employees have tested positive for the disease so far.
And at least one worker there reportedly has died of the virus. The family of Guadalupe Olivera told KEPR-TV News that he passed away after battling the coronavirus for several days. His family believes he contracted the virus while working at the Tyson Fresh Meats facility in Wallula.
The Pasco-area meatpacking plant is one of at least 12 across the nation that are currently closed due to coronavirus, according to the Food & Environment Reporting Network.
At least 2,460 workers at the nation's meatpacking plants have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 and at least 17 have died, the network reported.
While the Pasco plant is temporarily closed for testing, employees will continue to be compensated and asked to self-isolate at home until results return, said a company spokesperson.
“We’ve taken both of our responsibilities to continue feeding the nation and keeping our team members safe and healthy seriously,” Stouffer said.
“That’s why we’ve been focused on COVID-19 since January when we first formed a company coronavirus task force. We’ve since implemented numerous measures to protect workers and, at times, have gone beyond CDC guidance," he said.
Despite those efforts, coronavirus and the resulting absenteeism have convinced company officials to close down the plant and test all employees, with urging from local public health officials.
Resuming operations is dependent on a variety of factors, including the outcome of testing for COVID-19 and how long it takes to get results back, said a company spokesperson.
Tyson and local health officials are working on a plan to resume production, while keeping team members safe by further educating workers on CDC guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the company.
The local health department visited the beef facility last week to observe the protective measures implemented, including social distancing measures such as workstation dividers and more breakroom space.
“We’re working with local health officials to bring the plant back to full operation as soon as we believe it to be safe,” Stouffer said. “Unfortunately, the closure will mean reduced food supplies and presents problems to farmers who have no place to take their livestock. It’s a complicated situation across the supply chain.”
Tyson Foods also recently announced plans to indefinitely suspend operations at its Waterloo, Iowa, pork plant and to close its pork facility in Logansport, Ind., while workers undergo testing.
The company’s other meat and poultry plants currently continue to operate, but some are running at reduced levels of production either due to the planned implementation of additional worker safety precautions or worker absenteeism.
