Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., the beef and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., will resume limited production at its Logansport, Indiana facility. The pork processing facility temporarily halted operations on April 25 to test team members for COVID-19.
According to Tyson, staff members were asked to self-isolate until their results were received. The company is working with local health officials on the verification of test results and will communicate with team members prior to the restart date, while following CDC guidance on safely returning employees to work. Workers who test positive or have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will be directed to reach out to their health care provider, continue to self-isolate, and be encouraged to take protective steps to care for themselves. Workers who test negative will be asked to return to work, provided they remain asymptomatic.
“While the facility was idled, we added more workstation barriers, installed more hand sanitizer dispensers, and did additional deep cleaning and sanitation,” states Todd Neff, senior vice president pork. “We’re also now screening employees for additional symptoms and designating monitors to help enforce social distancing, while following the CDC and OSHA’s guidance for meat and poultry processing workers and employers.”
In addition, the Logansport facility is the first of several Tyson plants to receive a mobile health clinic to provide community-based services ranging from diagnostic (PCR) testing for COVID-19, assist with the environmental design of the facility to mitigate the risk of virus spread, and conduct daily on-site clinical screening.
