Tyson plant near Tri-Cities to close Friday. 1,400 workers being tested for coronavirus

The Tyson Fresh Meats plant near the Tri-Cities will temporarily halt production while all of its 1,400 workers undergo testing for COVID-19, Tyson Foods said Thursday morning.

The testing will be start on Friday, with the plant halting processing operations then, said the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health Thursday afternoon.

Walla Walla County is relying on the state Department of Health to provide enough testing materials, which are in short supply nationwide, to test all workers.

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health ordered the testing, which it will do, and said it will send workers home until their test results come back.

Results are expected in three to four days.

As of Thursday afternoon, 105 cases of COVID-19 across four counties were associated with the spread of the new coronavirus among employees at the plant south of Pasco at Wallula.

One worker, Guadalupe “Lupe” Olivera, has died from complications of COVID-19.

Tyson said it will continue to pay workers while they are at home in self-isolation as they wait for test results.

The plant slaughters and packages beef.

“Unfortunately, the closure will mean reduced food supplies and presents problems to farmers who have no place to take their livestock,” said Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats. “It’s a complicated situation across the supply chain.”

The plant near the Tri-Cities produces enough beef in one day to feed 4 million people, Tyson Foods said.

Resuming operations will depend on several factors, including the results of testing and how long it takes to get test results, Tyson Foods said.

“We are working with local health officials to bring the plant back to full operation as soon as we believe it to be safe,” said Stouffer.

Tyson is working with health officials in Walla Walla, Benton and Franklin counties on its plan to resume production, it said.

Reducing virus spread

The company said it has taken steps to reduce transmission of the new coronavirus, including putting up a tent to provide more break and lunchroom space for workers, putting up workstation dividers and adjusting shift times to separate workers who are leaving and arriving between shifts.

It is now requiring use of face coverings by all employees.

But some people, both in the Tri-Cities area and across the nation, are calling for a 14-day closure of the plant to protect workers.

A petition at Change.org calling for a two-week closure has been signed by more than 4,500 people.

The organizer of the petition, former Richland resident Ittai Orr, plans to send it to the governor of Washington state and mayors in some of the communities in which Tyson workers live, including Kennewick, Pasco and Walla Walla.

Union concerns

Teamster Local Union No. 839, which represents 550 workers at the Lamb Weston french fry plant in Pasco has said the outbreak there was handled very differently than at the nearby Tyson plant. The union does not represent the workers there.

When a worker at the french fry plant was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late March, the plant was immediately closed and workers were sent home, with pay, for two weeks as the plant was disinfected, the union said.

After the french fry plant reopened, nurses have been on site not only to take temperatures but to interview workers to assess their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Even before a worker was diagnosed with COVID-19 at the french fry plant, Lamb Weston was promoting social distancing and has set up portable cafeterias. It also was asking workers for ideas and implementing them, the union local said.

“Tyson isn’t doing nearly enough to keep there workers safe,” said Russell Shjerven, secretary-treasurer of the local union.

Tyson has worked with Walla Walla County officials this month on measures to better protect workers. It said it has followed all the recommendations for protective measures, which it said exceeds Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

It was among the first food companies to start taking worker temperatures and is in the process of installing more than 150 infrared temperature scanners in its facilities, Tyson Foods said.

“Despite these efforts, the combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 case(s) and community concerns has resulted in a collective decision to close and test all team members,” Stouffer said.

Tyson Foods already has stopped work indefinitely at its port plant in Waterloo, Iowa, because of a new coronavirus outbreak there. It also plans to close its pork facility in Logansport, Ind., while workers are tested.

The company’s other meat and poultry plants are operating, but some are running at reduced production levels either because of worker absenteeism or the planned addition of more worker safety precautions, Tyson Foods said.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 11:21 AM.