Tyson to Close Indiana Plant Due to COVID-19 InfectionsTyson to Close Indiana Plant Due to COVID-19 Infections
April 23, 2020

American protein company Tyson Foods said Wednesday will voluntarily shutter its Tyson Fresh Meats meat processing plant in Logansport, IN for two weeks after a number of facility’s workers became infected with COVID-19.
“We’re working with the county to make sure our people and the community are safe,” Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, said in a company press release. “The combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 cases, and community concerns has resulted in a collective decision to close.”
146 workers from the Logansport plant have tested positive for the virus, the Indianapolis Star reported. A local health official told the newspaper that all other employees at the site will begin to be tested for coronavirus on Thursday.
Cass County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Dori Ditty commended Tyson’s efforts to protect workers from COVID-19 at the Logansport plant in the company’s release.
“We were impressed with the aggressive protective measures the company has implemented. We observed social distancing measures such as installing workstation dividers, putting barriers on break tables to create distance, and putting foot door operators so people don’t have to touch doorknobs,” Dr. Ditty said.
Tyson said it has started checking workers temperatures and requiring the use of face masks across all of its facilities.
The company also announced this week that it is “indefinitely” closing its Waterloo, IA pork plant due to coronavirus cases among staff. Officials determined that some 180 coronavirus infections were related to the plant, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
“Closing facilities has serious implications to the national food supply for American families, local communities, growers, and farmers,” said Stouffer. “When a facility closes, the availability of protein for consumers across the nation will only decrease. Consumers will see an impact at the grocery store as production slows. It also means the loss of a vital market outlet for farmers and contributes to the disruption of the nation’s pork supply.”
For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones
More Powder & Bulk Solids articles:
84% of US Impacted by Shortages of High-Demand CPG
You May Also Like