Prognosis
Communities With Meat-Plants Keep Seeing Virus Spread at Faster Rates
- Covid-19 cases jumped 26% from May 5 to May 12 in meat areas
- Compares with 14% nationally, Bloomberg data analysis show
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Even while meat companies say they are stepping up safety protocols as facilities reopen, coronavirus keeps spreading at almost twice the national rate in U.S. counties with major plants.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases jumped 26% from May 5 to May 12 in the 74 counties with major beef or pork slaughterhouses, compared with a 14% rise nationally, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. President Donald Trump issued an executive order April 28 directing meatpackers to reopen closed facilities.