Galesburg Reporter

Monmouth-based Smithfield Foods temporarily bolted its doors after at least three employees at the 1,700 worker meat-processing plant tested positive for COVID-19.

In a news release, the Virginia-based company said operations ground to a temporary halt for several days in early May after the Warren County Health Department went public with its findings.

As of May 25, Illinois reported 110,304 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 4,856 deaths. Warren County has 114 confirmed cases of COVID-19, though officials have not said how many have been traced back to the plant.

The Monmouth facility produces about 3% of the U.S. fresh pork supply, with bacon as its primary product. With Smithfield facilities in North Carolina and South Dakota having already been forced to shutter because of outbreaks, the company has announced plans for increased safety measures.

“The inherent nature of meat processing, which is labor-intensive, assembly-line-style production, makes social distancing particularly challenging,” the news release stated.

The Illinois Department of Public Health recently indicated it is working with local health departments to upgrade safety features at meat or food processing plants after the facilities were identified as hot spot areas.

“Local health departments are working with individual plants on measures to increase worker safety, get additional testing, interview cases, and answer questions from the community about COVID-19,” the release added.