Coronavirus Impact: Colorado Meat Plant Shuts Down After Numerous Employees Contract Coronavirus

An outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to the closure of a meatpacking plant Friday in Greeley, Colorado. A county public health department official called JBS USA plant "a significant hotspot" for COVID-19.

The shutdown came after numerous employees at the plant tested positive the coronavirus. The union representing the roughly 3,000 plant workers said that two members died.

The union claims that the number of infected workers is at least 50, while JBS itself puts the number at 36.

The facility is set to undergo deep cleaning before reopening in a week. There will also be mandatory testing for employees. JBS will spend around $1 million on testing.

“We fully understand the seriousness of a plant closure and its economic impact. However, safety must take precedence over profits,” union president Kim Cordova said in a statement. “One death is a tragedy – two deaths at the same plant is simply beyond human understanding.”

Cordova also expressed doubt that the measures being taken will be enough to keep workers safe. In addition to taking temperatures and giving better access to protective equipment, Cordova believes that heavily trafficked parts of the plant should be sanitized multiple times daily, prior to each shift change. She also calls for a $3-per-hour raise for all employees as hazard pay.

According to the union, the employees who died were Saul Sanchez, 78, and Eduardo Conchas de la Cruz, 60. Sanchez would have been at heightened risk from coronavirus due to his age but the union said that he was otherwise in good health.

Vice President Mike Pence on Friday weighed in on the JBS situation and pledged to send coronavirus testing to the plant.

"I want to encourage people in Colorado that we will work to support that effort. But I also want to emphasize that all of the people that are working in food supply, from farmers to meatpackers to distributors to truckers to grocers, continue to have our gratitude," Pence told reporters.

Brazil-based JBS is the world's largest meat producer. The company came under scrutiny in 2019 after it received $78 million of the $300 million that the Department of Agriculture allocated in government pork contracts to offset the impact of the trade war.

Johns Hopkins University reports that Colorado has seen over 6,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 250 deaths.

Greeley is located in Weld County, which has one of the highest infection rates in Colorado. Greeley has an estimated population of over 107,000 and is located roughly 50 miles north of Denver.