For many weeks, individuals in rural communities in Nebraska charted the rise of coronavirus cases on the state’s several meatpacking plants. First, there were handfuls, after which, many extra
As of the primary week of May, public well being officers reported 96 on the Tyson plant in Madison; 237 on the JBS plant in Grand Island; and 123 arising from the Smithfield plant in Crete.
There have been different cases across the state, too, and the counts have been climbing. No less than three have been reportedly dead. Then the numbers stopped.
In a change initiated a week ago, Gov. Pete Ricketts (Republican) introduced at a news convention that state well being officers would not share figures about what number of staff have been contaminated at every plant. The big firms weren’t sharing numbers both, making a silence that leaves staff, their households and the remainder of the general public blind to the severity of the disaster at every plant.
“What are you hiding?” stated Vy Mai, whose grandfather died of the covid-19 after being exposed to her aunt and uncle, each employed by a Smithfield plant in Crete. “If the ‘essential’ staff are being treated fairly and guarded at meatpacking plants, why aren’t we allowed to know the numbers?”
In the US, meatpacking plants have been related to a number of the worst outbreaks of the pandemic: Of the 30 counties within the laur States with the best per capita prevalence of the coronavirus last week, 10 are home to main meatpacking plants.
Of these 30 counties, 4 are in Nebraska.
