287 Workers At Hyrum Meat Processing Plant Test Positive For COVID-19
Jun 8, 2020, 8:09 PM | Updated: 9:52 pm
HYRUM, Utah – The JBS meat processing plant in Hyrum has significantly stepped up sterilization and reduced production as the company and county health officials work to control an outbreak of COVID-19.
More than 1,000 employees were tested at the plant; 287 people tested positive.
There is no word on whether future testing is needed.
A company spokeswoman tells KSL the team members who tested positive are being quarantined, and the plant is taking on some additional deep cleaning.
The plant is also working at a reduced capacity.
The public expressed concerned about the plant outbreak.
“We were concerned because we thought we were doing really good, and thought things were going system green,” said Hyrum resident Monica Gowens.
People like Monica Gowens and her family didn’t expect such big numbers out of Hyrum.
“After the spike, we’re really nervous even going out,” she said.
It took the folks at the Bear River Health Department by surprise too.
“Absolutely a big concern,” said Joshua Greer, spokesman for the Bear River Health Department.
Greer said his relatively small department is now taking on the massive task of contact-tracing all of those cases.
“It can be pretty tiring when you consider all those new cases and all of their contacts, and just the sheer amount of phone calls we need to make to them through the isolation/quarantine period,” Greer said.
Later this week, a team from the Centers for Disease Control will be on site to help with contact tracing and lab work.
A JBS spokeswoman emphasized that they continue to use precautions they took on back in April, including new staff to handle disinfecting, health and temperature screenings, social distancing, and personal protective equipment for every employee.
Greer said it will be up to the management at JBS as to whether there will be a follow up testing event in the near future.
Luckily, out of those 287 cases at the plant, only two have reportedly been hospitalized so far.
