Outbreak of Covid-19 at JBS meat plant in Brazil

[caption id="attachment_4308" align="aligncenter" width="1014"] Picture: Collected[/caption] An outbreak of covid-19 has been reported at a JBS SA (JBSS3.SA) poultry plant in southern Brazil. According to labor prosecutors, the first large-scale infection has been identified in a meat plant in Brazil. The respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus affected 20 workers at the meat-processing facility in the town of Passo Fundo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, according to a representative from the state’s labor prosecutor’s office on Friday (April 24, 2020). The plant was shut Friday afternoon as part of an ongoing investigation by the prosecutors. It follows several other outbreaks at meat-processing facilities in the United States in recent weeks, including at some JBS-owned plants. A source close to the company said earlier that 12 workers at the plant were infected. In a statement responding to queries about the Passo Fundo plant, JBS said it follows guidelines from local health authorities and keeps strict controls at its processing plants, distribution centers and offices to avoid contamination from the novel coronavirus. It declined to comment on the cases of COVID-19 affecting its employees and said nothing specifically about the outbreak at the Passo Fundo plant, which employs 2,600 workers. The labor prosecutor’s office confirmed that it found at least seven cases when its probe began a few days ago, and said the tally has since risen to 20. Brazilian news website UOL cited the department as saying that some 78 JBS employees had been removed from work for showing flu symptoms. The labor prosecutor’s office, which on Saturday filed a civil lawsuit against JBS seeking damages, said the meat processor’s failure to follow health authority guidelines had triggered its investigation. Find more... Source: Online/SZK