<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587239834149.png" alt=" Meat on sale at a grocery store in Garden City, Kansas. Four large meatpacking plants employ thousands of workers in southwest Kansas. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Meat on sale at a grocery store in Garden City, Kansas. Four large meatpacking plants employ thousands of workers in southwest Kansas. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/kansas-meatpacking-plants-have-coronavirus-cases-and-stay-open-amid-safety-concerns">Kansas News Service</a>GARDEN CITY — The continuing spread of 
COVID-19 among workers who slaughter livestock and package meat poses a 
growing threat to keeping the industry’s plants in operation.Already, the coronavirus temporarily shut down a pork-processing plant in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/14/834470141/how-one-city-mayor-forced-a-pork-giant-to-close-its-virus-stricken-plant" target="_blank">Sioux Falls, South Dakota</a>, and a beefpacking facility in <a href="https://jbssa.com/about/news/2020/04-13/#.XpeDsshKhPb" target="_blank">Greeley, Colorado</a>.&nbsp;Now
 in the cattle slaughterhouses of southwest Kansas, both National Beef 
Packing Co. and Cargill Inc. have confirmed cases of the coronavirus 
among workers at their plants in Dodge City and Liberal.&nbsp;Tyson 
Foods Inc. has not publicly confirmed the number of cases or which of 
its locations have the virus. In an email, a spokeswoman for Finney 
County government declined to say whether there are confirmed cases at 
the plant — the county’s largest employer.As the global pandemic
 reaches deeper into small cities on the Great Plains where meatpacking 
is concentrated — the number of COVID-19 cases in Ford County went from 
17 to 107 in the last week — the industry could face a stall.In 
the meantime, unions have begun pressing for better coronavirus 
protections inside plants where workers stand-side-by side to cut meat 
from carcases. And while plants have implemented extra sanitation shifts
 and social distancing efforts, it’s not always possible for workers to 
stand 6 feet apart.<h2>Factory conditions</h2>Martin Rosas is president of the <a href="https://www.unionfacts.com/lu/540631/UFCW/2/" target="_blank">United Food &amp; Commercial Workers District Union Local 2</a>, which represents 9,000 meatpacking and food processing workers in Kansas. He said workers are anxious.&nbsp;“One
 of the biggest concerns that our members have … is social distancing 
while they’re lunch time and break times occur” he said.&nbsp;National
 Beef and Cargill have met the union’s requests to stagger break times 
and have provided more space and barriers to employees during breaks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rosas said the union wants meatpacking plants to slow down production lines for workers’ safety.&nbsp;“Because
 if their line hasn’t been slowed down yet, that’s going to create 
another safety hazard,” Rosas said. “If … people try to change their 
masks and try to grab a hold of their product, it makes it difficult.”On April 8, National Beef announced the first positive case at its Dodge City plant.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587239901438.png" alt=" The National Beef Plant in Dodge City has confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but the company has not confirmed how many. Credit Bethany Wood / For the Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> The National Beef Plant in Dodge City has confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but the company has not confirmed how many. Credit Bethany Wood / For the Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>On April 11, the company confirmed COVID-19 cases among its workers, 
but it did not specify the number of cases at its Liberal location.&nbsp;“These
 employees have not been in our Liberal facility for several days and 
are now in quarantine at home for time required for a full recovery,” 
the statement said.&nbsp;On April 16,&nbsp; Keith Welty with National Beef
 said the company is not confirming specific numbers of cases but said 
employees have tested positive in Dodge City. Now that plant has moved 
its scheduled cleaning up by a week. From April 16 through the 21, the 
plant will shut down, and Welty said that will stop beef production for 
three days.&nbsp;The plant is using that time to install stainless 
steel partitions between workers on the production floor. Heated tents 
have been set up outside for lunch breaks and National Beef has said it 
has provided face masks and face shields for workers.Daniel 
Sullivan, a Cargill spokesman, confirmed the company’s Dodge City 
location has confirmed positive cases, but did not specify how many.&nbsp;“Our
 priority is limiting the spread of the virus where we can,” Sullivan 
said. “We are working with local health officials to ensure appropriate 
prevention, testing, cleaning and quarantine protocols are followed.”Sullivan
 said Cargill is also taking workers’ temperatures, providing face 
coverings and practicing social distancing where possible.Tyson 
spokeswoman Liz Croston said the company is checking employees’ 
temperatures and supplying face coverings, has installed plastic 
dividers and is practicing social distancing.&nbsp;In the meantime, 
the union asked Gov. Laura Kelly to issue an executive order that would 
mandate meatpacking plants and grocery stores abide by the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 guidelines to keep workers 
safe. Rosas said the governor hasn’t replied.&nbsp;<h2>Meat production</h2>Glynn
 Tonsor, a professor in the department of Agricultural Economics at 
Kansas State University, estimates that southwest Kansas plants account 
for about 25 to 30% of the country's beef production.&nbsp;“If we 
have more than three of the large plants down for more than a week, then
 you start having a bigger problem of cattle stacking up,” he said.As of mid-April, Tonsor said he doesn’t think the nation is on the brink of a meat shortage.&nbsp;“Mainly because we haven't had multiple plants with that (coronavirus) challenge yet,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tyson
 has shut down its Columbus Junction, Iowa, pork plant, Croston said in 
an email. She added that the company has “scaled back production” at its
 Finney County plant.“We’re beginning to experience varying 
levels of production at some locations,” she said. “Some is planned due 
to additional worker safety precautions, but some is occurring because 
of absenteeism.”<h2>Meatpacking workers</h2>Nicole’s
 fiance works at National Beef. She’s raising two young children with 
compromised immune systems. The Kansas News Service is only using her 
middle name because she fears that talking publicly could create 
problems for her fiance at work.He’s the family’s only source of income, and his potential exposure to a virus at work is a source of anxiety for the family.&nbsp;“He
 gets right into the shower to wash off any bacteria that he possibly 
can,” she said. “It’s very stressful because he is scared to hold or 
touch the kids just in case he may have come into contact with anybody 
or anything.”&nbsp;Corinne Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://kannews.slack.com/team/UFFCS11T5"> @Corinne</a>_boyer or email cboyer@hppr.org. The
 Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, 
KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social 
determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

Kan. meatpacking plants have virus cases, but stay open