Covid-19: Tyson Foods suspends operations at Iowa pork plant

Tyson Foods has temporarily suspended operations at its pork plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa, US, as more than two dozen employees working at the facility are said to have been affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Tyson Foods noted that the decision to suspend operations at the facility was taken out of an ‘abundance of caution’.

Tyson Foods CEO Noel White said: “We’re working hard to protect our team members during this ever-changing situation, while also ensuring we continue fulfilling our critical role of helping feed people across the country.

“We’ve been taking the temperature of workers at all of our locations before they enter company facilities. We’re mostly using temporal thermometers but at a few locations, we’re beginning to implement infrared temperature scanners.

“In addition, we’ve stepped up deep cleaning and sanitising of our facilities, especially in employee breakrooms, locker rooms and other areas, to protect our team members. This additional cleaning sometimes requires suspending at least one day of production.”

Tyson Foods explained that it is diverting livestock supply from its Columbus Junction to some of its other pork plants in the region to minimise the impact on overall production.

To ensure the safety of its employees amid the Covid-19 crisis, the company is working with the federal agencies to underline the need for personal protective equipment.

As part of this initiative, the company is working towards securing an adequate supply of protective face coverings for production workers.

White added: “We continue to explore and implement additional ways to promote more social distancing in our plants.

“This includes erecting dividers between workstations or increasing the space between workers on the production floor, which can involve slowing production lines. We’re also creating more room in non-production areas.”