Green Bay meatpacking plant tied to cluster of COVID-19 cases closes

A meatpacking plant in Green Bay tied to a cluster of COVID-19 cases in Brown County has closed, according to a Sunday statement.

JBS USA closed the beef production facility, which employs more than 1,200 people, and advised its team members to follow Gov. Tony Evers’ safer-at-home order while the plant is shut down. The company will pay its employees during the closure.

“We’ve been focused on doing everything we can to keep the virus out of our facility, but we believe a temporary closure is the most aggressive action we can take to help our community collectively slow the spread of COVID-19,” Shannon Grassl, president of JBS USA Regional Beef, said in a statement.

The Green Bay plant is the fourth the company has closed nationwide.

The company says it’s following guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It’s implemented measures including temperature testing, providing personal protective equipment, increasing spacing in common areas and staggering starts, shifts and breaks.

Brown County health officials last week reported a cluster of cases connected to meat processing facilities in the area.

Brown County has the highest rate of COVID-19 in the state, with 298.7 positive cases per 100,000 people as of Sunday. The county accounted for 776 confirmed cases out of the 5,911 reported statewide.

DHS on Sunday reported 272 deaths statewide and 59,235 negative tests for the virus.

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