All Tyson workers at plant near Tri-Cities to be tested for coronavirus. Cases reach 100

All workers at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant near the Tri-Cities will be tested for COVID-19 and then sent home to self isolate until test results come back.

“This may require the plant to close for a day or two, depending on when the testing can take place and how long it takes to get results back,” said Meghan DeBolt, director of the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health.

The decision to test all employees was announced on Tuesday as the number of known confirmed and probable cases associated with the plant reach 100 in four counties and two states.

The total includes 91 residents of Benton and Franklin counties, eight in Walla Walla County and one in Umatilla County, Oregon.

The Walla Walla County health department plans to start testing within the next week.

It is requiring Tyson to allow the local health department to test all employees.

Historically, the plant has employed about 1,400 workers to slaughter and pack beef in Wallula south of Pasco.

“Quickly identifying cases, getting them isolated, along with their household members, and quarantining their close contacts is critical to our public health response to COVID-19,” DeBolt said.

Although Walla Walla County officials were not immediately available Tuesday afternoon to discuss how they planned to obtain testing supplies amid a nationwide testing supply shortage, DeBolt said in a statement that they hope to have more testing capacity available in the weeks to come.

The local health department began discussions with local and corporate Tyson leaders on April 6 and has been in daily communication since then.

Health officials visited the plant on April 13 and returned on Tuesday to see if a plan to protect workers using guidance from the Washington state Department of Health had been implemented as required by Monday, April 20.

Walla Walla County officials said the plant has set up a vented tent to allow more space for workers eating meals and taking breaks.

It’s also added shields within the cafeteria and break areasa and many hand sanitization stations. The company also is allowing more time between shift changes to separate employees leaving and entering the plant, among other improvements.

Fruit plant coronavirus outbreak

One of the most recent requirements was adding information and signs explaining COVID-19 and protective measures that workers who speak more than 11 languages could understand.

Walla Walla County health officials have said they planned to allow time to see if increased protective measures work, but could consider closing the plant for a time if Tyson protective measures are not adequate.

However, some people are calling for county officials to shut the plant down for two weeks as some other meat processing centers across the nation have done.

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition at change.org calling for the plant to close for 14 days to protect workers and stop the spread of the new coronavirus within the plant.

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health also is responding to an outbreak of COVID-19 at First Fruits in Prescott, north of Walla Walla.

Five workers there have COVID-19.

First Fruits has told employees they do not have to come to work, making the operations area less crowded and helping allow six feet of space between workers.

The grower, packer and shipper, formerly known Broetje Orchards, grows apples and cherries on 6,000 acres in Eastern Washington and employs up to 2,500 workers at its peak, according to it’s Facebook page.

When First Fruits had trouble finding enough masks for all employees, several employees made face coverings for their co-workers.

“They put measures in place well before we reached out to them,” DeBolt said.

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 5:36 PM.