Two workers at the Tyson Foods pork production plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa, have died, presumably from complications related to COVID-19.
Noel White, CEO of Tyson Foods, announced on April 6 that operations at the plant had been suspended “due to more than two dozen cases of COVID-19 involving team members at the facility.” That suspension was originally scheduled to last one week, but the company has since extended the temporary plant closure for an additional week.
The deaths of the two Columbus Junction employees were confirmed by company spokeswoman Liz Croston, but she did not reveal the identities of either worker.
“We’re deeply saddened by the loss of two team members at our Columbus Junction plant,” Crouston said in an email to the Des Moines Register. “Their families are in our thoughts and prayers.
The Register also reported that 186 workers at the facility tested positive for COVID-19.
The suspension of operations there is expected to have an impact on the U.S. pork supply. On the same day, Smithfield Foods, a subsidiary of WH Group, the world’s largest pork company, announced that three of its U.S. facilities will have operations suspended. Those plants are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Cudahy, Wisconsin; and Martin City, Missouri.
Another pork plant operated by Olymel in Yamachiche, Quebec, had operations suspended for two weeks, beginning in late March, but it has since resumed production.
White, in making his announcement on April 6, highlighted the precautions Tyson Foods was taking at its facilities across the United States, including the installation of infrared temperature scanners.
The company earlier announced it was providing about $60 million in bonuses for frontline workers during the pandemic, and it committed $13 million to hunger relief and community support endeavors.
Tyson Foods’ diversified operations include pork, chicken, turkey, beef and plant-based proteins.
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