WOODBURY COUNTY HAS ONE NEW CASE OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS REPORTED.
SIOUXLAND DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THE PERSON IS AN ADULT MALE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 TO 40.
THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL POSITIVE CASES TO 12 IN THE COUNTY.
State health officials have reported another coronavirus death in Nebraska, bringing the state’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 14.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reports the latest death is that of a man in his 70s in Madison County.
Officials say the man had several underlying health conditions.
As of Thursday morning, the state had reported 523 cases of the virus, with more than 7,500 residents testing negative.
The union representing employees at the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota said workers were induced to report to work through company bonuses as a rash of coronavirus infections broke out at the facility.
The plant, which employees about 2,800 people in the state’s largest city, has emerged as a hotspot of infections, accounting for at least 1 in 5 confirmed cases in South Dakota.
Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon says over 80 employees have tested positive according to data from Tuesday.
The union representing employees at the plant reports that the number of people with confirmed cases is higher – at more than 120.
Maggie Seidel, Senior Advisor to Governor Kristi Noem, says the Governor has been in communication with Smithfield President Ken Sullivan.
She says Smithfield will be taking additional steps to protect its workforce.
The plant will undergo a temporary closure, expand its already rigorous cleaning and sanitation practices, add new physical barriers to promote further social distancing, and provide paid time off for employees with a COVID diagnosis or quarantine.
The plant supplies nearly 130 million servings of food per week, or about 18 million servings per day, to our country.
