Dive Brief:
- 本周,密歇根ordered coronavirus testing for agricultural and food processing workers after 11 recent outbreaks at farms and food plants in the state,the Associated Press reported。
- The order applies to meat, poultry and egg facilities, as well as greenhouses and employers that hire migrant workers who don't live on-site. Those employers, with more than 20 workers on-site at a time, must test all employees once, then any new employees and workers with symptoms or exposure to the coronavirus.
- "The men and women who work in our fields and food processing plants are at particular risk for COVID-19, and they need and deserve protection," Robert Gordon, director ofMichigan'shealth department,在一份声明中说。“今天的命令将有助于减少密歇根州社区的Covid传播，并减少大流行对拉美裔人的影响。”
潜入洞察力：
由于食品处理器的爆发继续遍布全国各地，因此更多的测试可能是下一个解决方案。
When the pandemic hit the U.S.,meat plantsquickly became hotbedsfor coronavirus. Then outbreaks then spread to other食品加工厂和农场。总体而言，超过50,000名肉类，食品加工和农场工人的工人对冠状病毒进行了阳性，并且超过232人死亡，根据食品和环境报告网络。
即使temporarily closing plants并实施塑料屏障等措施，掩模要求和温度检查，冠状病毒继续传播通过植物员工经常彼此非常接近。
According to tracking by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Servicescited by Detroit News, there were 604 new coronavirus cases and six new deaths reported in the state on Monday — raising the totals in Michigan to 83,386 positive cases and 6,212 deaths. From牛皮纸亨氏食物厂tomeatpacking facilities, the virus has spread throughout factories in Michigan, as well as atfarms and greenhouses。
停止食品工人的蔓延，其中许多是移民，Michigan is now requiring employers complete a plan by Aug. 10 for how they will conduct testing and then they must finish baseline testing and implementation of ongoing testing by Aug. 24., according to the order.
The health department said in its announcement that companies have several options for completing the required testing, including contracting with a medical provider or laboratory to arrange a testing program or requesting state assistance to conduct testing. Coronavirustests can be costly, but in Michigan's case there are state grants available to help employers with the costs. If this new testing mandate works to quell numbers in Michigan, other states could look to issue similar orders.
This isn't the first move by the state to increase safety at food processing facilities. In July, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also signed an执行订单requiring PPE for employees at meatpacking plants.
密歇根的晚st order comes a week after Tyson Foods宣布它开始了a new testing and monitoring program at all 140 of its production facilities, where the company will now test its workers for coronavirus weekly. Tyson also created a chief medical officer position and plans to add nearly 200 nurses and administrative support personnel for its new program.
在密歇根州的美国和所有食品厂中的所有食品厂中的两个最大的肉类处理器实施测试，它可能会在全国各地的食品设施发生变化，定期开始测试员工。
