60% of employees positive for coronavirus at Iowa Tyson Foods meat plant

PERRY, Iowa - Nearly 60 percent of employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats pork plant in Perry, Iowa, have tested positive for coronavirus, making it one of the hardest-hit meat plants in the U.S.

Out of the approximately 1250 employees at Perry, 730 people contracted the virus, the Iowa Department of Health said.

The plant was idled and sanitized after employees were tested for coronavirus in late April, a Tyson spokesperson told FOX Business. Operations resumed on Monday with safety precautions including temperature checks, face coverings for workers and workstation dividers.

The spokesperson said that "all team members returning to work at our facilities have been tested and any employee who has tested positive will remain on sick leave until they are released by health officials to return to work."

Tyson will begin limited operations of its largest pork plant on Thursday. Tyson's Waterloo plant, also in Iowa, was paused on April 22 after workers contracted the virus.

Costco, Kroger and other grocery chains are rationing the number of meat customers can buy at one time as processing at U.S. meat plants has slowed down or stopped completely because of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus has infected 115 workers at 115 meat and poultry processing plants in 19 states, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. More than 4,900 workers contracted the virus and 20 have died.

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