MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — 34 workers at a meatpacking plant in Marshalltown have tested positive for COVID-19, though the company isn't disclosing any information about the workers or how many employees so far have been tested.
The mayor, Joel Greer, is making the media aware of the positive cases because he thinks it's the right thing to do. Greer told Local 5 that he and other local leaders have had regular conversations with JBS officials throughout the last several weeks about the coronavirus. But he noted that lately he has had to call each day to figure out what's going on with the workers.
"Seems odd for me to call each day and find out," said Greer. "They started posting in their common areas the number of diagnosed people, but I don't know why they aren't letting the media know about the numbers."
Green alleges that though JBS is taking precautions to make workers safe, such as putting up barriers in between employees, allowing employees to eat in a tent outside of the building, sanitizing every day, workers at the plant remain working in close proximity to one another.
"I haven't been inside since the virus started spreading, but I did take several tours of the plant before," said Greer. "But I know that they are not testing every single person at the plant. They are relying on the people who have symptoms to get tested. If I were in charge, I would demand testing kits."
Greer said that the Marshall County Department of Public Health is doing what it can to help out the plant and mitigate the spread of coronavirus, but said that more testing has to be done.
In an email on April 8, a JBS spokesman told Local 5 that, "We have had team members test positive for COVID-19 in some of our U.S. facilities. We are providing 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 health and safety of our team members providing food for us all during this unprecedented time remain our top priority."
224 people in Marshall County have tested positive for COVID-19. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,648.