"He fled the Congo to work in a U.S. meat plant. Then he — and hundreds of his co-workers — got the coronavirus," 6 August 2020 [Subscription required]

The JBS Greeley plant, which employs more than 3,000 people, closed [amid a coronavirus outbreak] and reopened eight days later. Since then, three plant workers have died of covid-19, bringing the total number of employee deaths from the virus to six…All told, about 300 employees have tested positive, making the plant the site of Colorado’s third-largest outbreak.

…In a statement, JBS said the plant reopened only after it implemented recommendations from local, state and federal health officials, including screening all workers for symptoms before entering …“We remain committed to the safety of our team, our families and the millions who depend on the food we produce every day,” said Tim Schellpeper, president of JBS USA Fed Beef.

The nation’s meat-processing plants have been at the center of a politically fraught debate on when and how to keep major sectors of the economy functioning during the pandemic.

Worker advocacy groups have filed a civil rights complaint against JBS and Tyson Foods with the U.S. Agriculture Department, alleging the companies’ failure to prevent coronavirus outbreaks among largely Black and Latino workers amounted to racial discrimination…JBS said it offered a diverse culture “including refugee, immigrant, native-born and asylee.”