A worker at an Illinois Smithfield Foods plant died after contracting COVID-19, the worker’s family said.
Alicia Cruz, 64, worked at the Smithfield dry sausage facility in St. Charles, according to WLS-TV.
The Kane County, Illinois, Health Department ordered Smithfield to close the facility on April 25 due to concerns about COVID-19. The order temporarily closes the facility so the health department can work with the company in mitigation efforts as well as providing education relative to social distancing and employee safety relative to personal protective equipment.
Cruz’s daughter Marisol Quintero told WLS-TV that she believes her mother contracted the virus while working at the plant, where employees report at least 20 other workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Quintero said Cruz did not have adequate personal protective equipment while working in the plant.
In a statement on its website, Smithfield said it has introduced protective measures at its facilities.
“We are doing everything in our power to help protect our team members from COVID-19 in the workplace,” the company said. “We moved quickly to implement an extensive array of COVID-19 protocols and practices.”
Smithfield, however, acknowledged that the conditions inside meat processing facilities do not easily lend themselves to social distancing policies.
“We are doing everything we can, as fast as we can,” the statement said. “There are, however, inescapable realities about our industry. Meat processing facilities, which are characterized by labor-intensive assembly line-style production, are not designed for social distancing. Employees often work in close proximity on production lines.”
Smithfield, the largest pork processor in the U.S., has had to close at least four of its plants due to COVID-19, in addition to the St. Charles location. The other closures include those in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Cudahy, Wisconsin; Martin City, Missouri; and Monmouth, Illinois.
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