BROWN COUNTY (NBC 26) -- Brown County health officials confirmed Monday that the CDC is in Brown County to help with coronavirus testing for JBS workers.
Ted Shove with the Brown County Health Department says there are a "cluster of cases" coming from JBS. There is not an exact number.
The CDC is in Brown County to offer voluntary tests to employees. Brown County hopes to have a definitive number on cases coming from JBS in the next few days or week.
JBS has areas where workers are working closely together. It is deemed an essential business because it is part of the food industry. There is no evidence from CDC to suggest the food they touch is transmittable.
Previously, Brown County Health Department said they found a correlation of increased cases to specific locations within the county. They didn't specify the locations during the announcement last week.
Brown County health officials said Monday that there are now 292 coronavirus cases in the county. Approximately 22 people are hospitalized.
Here is a statement from JBS USA & Pilgrim's Head of Corporate Affairs on the issue:
JBS USA has had team members test positive for COVID-19 in some of our facilities. We are offering support to those team members and their families, and we hope they all make a full and speedy recovery. Out of respect for the families, we are not releasing further information.
The U.S. government has identified the food supply as a critical infrastructure industry and has stated we have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedules on behalf of the nation. We take this responsibility seriously and are doing our best to safely provide food to the nation during a challenging time. We will endeavor to keep our facilities open, but we will not operate a facility if we do not believe it is safe or if absenteeism levels result in our inability to safely operate. The health and safety of our team members remains our number one priority.
We are mindful of the increasing number of facilities across the U.S. that have experienced decreased production or outright closure. The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us, and we salute our team members who are working hard each day to continue to feed the country.
We have implemented a wide of range of measures at our facilities to combat coronavirus. Today, every JBS USA facility temperature checks 100% of the workforce before they enter a facility. We use hand-held thermometers and thermal imaging technology to screen every team member and immediately send sick team members home. We also provide and require face masks to be worn at all times on company property. No one is forced to come to work and no one is punished for being absent for health reasons.
In addition, the company has implemented the following measures:
· Promoting physical distancing by staggering starts, shifts and breaks, and increasing spacing in cafeterias, break and locker rooms, including plexiglass dividers in key areas;
· Increasing sanitation and disinfection efforts, including whole facility deep-cleaning every day;
· Hiring dedicated staff whose only job is to continuously clean facilities, including common areas beyond the production floor;
· Removing vulnerable populations from facilities, offering full pay and benefits;
· Requiring sick team members to stay home from work;
· Waiving short-term disability waiting periods;
· Relaxing attendance policies so people don’t come to work sick;
· Providing free 100% preventative care to all team members enrolled in the company’s health plan;
· Offering free LiveHealth Online services for team members enrolled in the company’s health plan that allow for virtual doctor visits at no cost;
· Educating and encouraging team members to practice social distancing at home and in the community outside of work; and
· Restricting access to facilities and not allowing visitors.
