Ricketts says meatpacking plants need to stay open
With Nebraska's coronavirus challenges currently focused on outbreaks in meatpacking plants in Grand Island, Lexington and Dakota City, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Thursday he believes food processors are taking appropriate action to control spread of the virus.
Asked if he believes meatpacking plants ought to consider voluntarily and temporarily applying his statewide standard of 6 feet of physical separation to their production lines in order to protect workers and the communities they live in, the governor said he believes companies are "doing everything they can do."
Speaking at his daily coronavirus news briefing, Ricketts said "not every business" can meet that kind of physical distancing standard, so "they do what they can" in terms of applying separation, sanitation and preventive health measures such as testing the temperature of workers as they arrive for work.
Asked later if he might consider a future order to temporarily close a plant or two, the governor said that "we are working very hard for them to stay open."
Read more: https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/ricketts-says-meatpacking-plants-need-to-stay-open/article_c670fce7-7930-58b6-87fb-c7e0e5938194.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1