COVID-19 testing important for meat plant workers, officials say

Increased coronavirus testing is widely considered key as officials consider strategies to reopen economies. And testing is especially important for meat processing plants, stakeholders say.

Closures continue across the country, ranging from days to indefinite periods of time. And a recent USA Today investigation found the problem could be worse than previously thought. “If there’s one thing that might keep me up at night, it’s the meat processing plants and the manufacturing plants,” Nebraska’s chief medical officer said recently.

To mitigate the problem, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said recently that testing is necessary to know which workers can return and who needs to continue staying home.

In Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly announced testing would increase in communities surrounding meat plants. Facilities in several southwest Kansas counties process a quarter of the country’s beef, according to Meat + Poultry.

Workers themselves are concerned too: The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union sent a letter recently to USDA requesting several actions to protect meatpacking employees. The union said that more than 5,000 workers have been infected with or exposed to the virus, resulting in 13 deaths.

The union asked USDA to take five steps: prioritize testing among essential workers; give workers access to personal protective equipment; halt line speed waivers; mandate social distancing practices where possible; and isolate workers who show symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.