Meatpacker JBS Withdrew At-Risk Workers From Beef Factory Due To Covid-19 Surge



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Meat-packing company JBS USA Holdings Inc. said it had pulled hundreds of at-risk workers from a Colorado beef factory in response to rising Covid-19 infections, as the US meat industry was seeking to defend itself against the current outbreak of the pandemic.

JBS’s move comes as America’s largest beef processor faces a new Covid-19 outbreak in Greeley, Colo., Where the company operates a beef processing plant that employs around 3,500 people, making it one of the largest in the country.

U.S. meat packers are stepping up their defenses to prevent Covid-19 from factories that collectively employ hundreds of thousands of workers and supply meat to fast food chains and supermarkets. The rapidly spreading infections associated with meat packing plants in the United States last spring killed dozens of workers, forced widespread shutdowns and resulted in shortages of some meat products, all while supporting livestock on farms.

On November 7, JBS pulled 202 workers from the Greeley plant who were considered vulnerable to the coronavirus due to age and other factors, a JBS spokesperson said. These workers receive full pay and benefits and can return to work after infection rates in the community drop, he said. This step had a marginal effect on the plant’s beef production, according to the company.

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