Nearly 600 COVID-19 Cases Found at Tyson Plant in Iowa

As Tyson Foods prepares to resume limited production at its Storm Lake, IA plant on this week, the company announced that 591 COVID-19 cases were identified among the site’s 2,303 staff members. 

Over 75% of the infected staff members did not show any symptoms, the food company said in a press release Tuesday. 58 workers were tested by The Iowa Department of Health and healthcare providers and Tyson tested 533 others from May 18 to May 21. 

“As in Storm Lake, we are routinely finding high levels of asymptomatic positives when we test widely at our plants and because of that, we can do a public service by sharing the results with the local community,” said Tom Brower, senior vice president of Health and Safety at Tyson Foods in a statement. 

As of Tuesday, 186 of the infected workers have completed their required quarantine period and are back on the job, according to Tyson. Staff members that test positive for the novel coronavirus are required to meet criteria set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Tyson before returning to work. 

The Storm Lake plant was temporarily closed for deep cleaning and sanitizing. Tyson plans to restart some operations at the site on Wednesday. 

In April, The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released joint coronavirus-related interim guidance for meatpacking and meat processing workers and employers – including those involved in beef, pork and poultry operations. 

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