The Health Department in Bladen County, N.C., confirmed that another Smithfield Foods processing plant reported one or more positive cases of the novel coronavirus.
The department’s director, Teresa Duncan, said agencies both local and national are working to protect public health and ensure the safety of employees while further mitigating the spread of the virus, according to a press release obtained by local outlet WECT.
“The health and well-being of the employees is our first priority,” said Duncan.
The health department’s release did not indicate an exact number of cases confirmed at the plant, but the county affirmed there are some cases.
Saturday afternoon, a public relations representative for Smithfield said in an email to WECT that the company will not confirm any positive cases of COVID-19 at their facilities out of respect for their employees’ legal privacy.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced about Smithfield Foods plants in Missouri and Wisconsin that had reported cases of the virus as well.
A plant in Sioux Falls, S.D, which closed indefinitely on April 12, reportedly had 518 infected employees, with one death as a result of the coronavirus infection.