Meatpackers cautiously reopen plants amid coronavirus fears
Employees of two departments at the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota reported to work on Monday, May, 5, 2020, as the plant moved to reopen. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota pork processing plant is taking its first steps toward reopening after a virus outbreak among workers that was one of the worst in the nation.
Smithfield Foods shuttered its Sioux Falls plant for over two weeks after more than 800 employees became infected.
Two departments at the plant reopened Monday.
Meat processing plants across the country are cautiously reopening after President Donald Trump’s executive order last week classified them as critical infrastructure.
Workers, farmers and meat-eaters alike are watching to see if new safety measures will be enough to prevent more outbreaks at the plants.
