WALLULA, Wash. — Dozens of employees at a beef packing plant in Wallula, about 15 miles south of Pasco, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health (WWCDCH) said Monday that 30 virus cases have been detected among employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats facility on Dodd Road near Highway 12. Twenty-eight of those cases are lab-confirmed and the other two are considered “probable,” meaning they involve people with COVID-19 symptoms who had close contact with an infected patient.
The plant is located in Walla Walla County, but many of its employees live in the Tri-Cities area within Benton and Franklin counties. Heath officials say just six of the infected employees are Walla Walla County residents.
The WWCDCH is working with the Benton-Franklin Health District, Washington State Department of Health and managers at the Wallula plant to respond to the outbreak.
Meghan DeBolt, Walla Walla County Director of Community Health, said health officials recently spoke to local and corporate leaders at Tyson and were assured that employees were being screened for fever, increasing physical distancing, spacing shift start times and deep-cleaning the facility.
Health officials said Tyson Fresh Meats implemented the following mitigation efforts over the past week to prevent further spread of COVID-19:
• Symptom Screening and Case Monitoring:
– Screening of employees and anyone who enters Tyson plants by checking temperatures and turning away anyone warmer than 100.4 degrees F
– Once Tyson is informed of a confirmed positive, they inspect and thoroughly clean and sanitize the employee’s workstation and locker.
– All employees who are in contact with a confirmed positive are put on a 14-day isolation from the workplace.
• Physical/Social Distancing:
– Clear, plastic barriers are being installed between workstations on the production line to provide a physical barrier between employees (will be fully implemented by the end of this week).
– Start time and end time between shift changes now has a 30-minute gap to provide proper physical/social distancing and to allow enough time for the air to be cleared.
– Employees have separate entrances and exits to minimize contact with other employees.
– Always working for a safer, healthier and thriving Walla Walla County
– Installation of 20×50’ vented outdoor tent for employees to have greater separation for employee breaks and meals.
– All cash transactions in the plant have been halted to expedite time in cafeteria and minimize employee contact. Badges are scanned for payment.
• Sanitizing/Cleaning:
– Increased turnover rate of the air filtration system.
– Multiple automatic hand sanitizer stations were installed around the facility.
– Thirteen (13) employees who are tasked solely with wiping down and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces such as railings, floors, and door handles.
• The entire plant is cleaned and sanitized once every weekend.
Tyson is also providing surgical masks for all employees, which they may wear if they so choose.
“We have two options – close the plant for 14 days and hope their employees stay under quarantine for those two weeks while at home, or work with them to be successful in prevention efforts,” said DeBolt. “We know isolation and quarantine is not a natural state and thus, it is likely, even if we close the plant, that transmission amongst workers will continue while at home. We cannot guarantee that everyone will stay home, stay healthy.”
Health officials will allow the plant to remain open, but additional measures will need to be put in place quickly.
“Since prevention efforts started only a week ago, we will not see their full effect for at least another week,” said DeBolt. “We know there will be more cases in the coming days that are associated with exposure at the plant; however, we anticipate a ‘flattening of the curve’ once the prevention efforts are in place later this week. If we do not see a reduction in transmission, we will reevaluate with partners at Benton- Franklin Health District and the Department of Health.”
Health officials are reminding the community that public health and food safety experts do not have any evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in-plant personnel who are ill with COVID-19 or any other illness are excluded from work activities that could create unsanitary conditions.