State officials say they’ll send guidelines to all food processing facilities in the state plus offer assistance, in the wake of the indefinite shutdown of the J-B-S pork plant in Worthington due to a COVID outbreak among employees. Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink says they’re also asking facilities to voluntary share information on health status of their workforce: “Have they had workers who have tested positive? Have they had workers who have been symptomatic and sent home? Have they had workers who have called in, reporting symptoms of COVID-19?
Governor Tim Walz says the state needs to be ready to do testing at other plants, before there’s the same situation as at J-B-S. Walz says his goal is 40 thousand tests weekly. “My hope is we get close to that 40-thousand a week by this week,” he says.