Tyson’s Pasco Plant Pauses Production to Test Employees for COVID-19
Tyson Fresh Meats will temporarily halt production at its Pasco, Wash., beef facility to test team members for COVID-19. Health officials in Walla Walla, Benton and Franklin Counties will work with the company to test the more than 1,400 employees, according to a release from the company.
The facility produces enough beef in a single day to feed four million people, the company says. While the plant is closed, team members will continue to be compensated and have been asked to self-isolate at home until their test results are back.
“We’ve taken both of our responsibilities to continue feeding the nation and keeping our team members safe and healthy seriously,” said Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, in the release. “That’s why we’ve been focused on COVID-19 since January when we first formed a company coronavirus task force. We’ve since implemented numerous measures to protect workers and, at times, have gone beyond CDC guidance.
“We’ve also worked with the local health department on more mitigation efforts and have accommodated all its recommendations for protective measures, which exceeded CDC guidelines. Despite these efforts, the combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 case and community concerns has resulted in a collective decision to close and test all team members,” Stouffer continued.
Reopening the plant depends on the outcome of testing and how long it takes for results to come back. Tyson and local health officials are working on a plan to resume production, while keeping team members safe by further educating workers on CDC guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the release says. The local health department visited the beef facility last week to observe the protective measures implemented, including social distancing measures such as workstation dividers and more breakroom space.
“We’re working with local health officials to bring the plant back to full operation as soon as we believe it to be safe,” Stouffer said. “Unfortunately, the closure will mean reduced food supplies and presents problems to farmers who have no place to take their livestock. It’s a complicated situation across the supply chain.”
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