While much of the nation is locked down to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, meat plant operators will have to stay open. The government has declared that meat processing plants are essential infrastructure, hoping to alleviate disruptions in the food supply chain.

President Trump announced on Tuesday that plants would remain open, despite some concerns that they are incubators for the Coronavirus.

Defense Production Act Used to Keep Plants Open

Up to 22 plants that process meat like pork and chicken have closed temporarily in the past few weeks. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, twenty U.S. plant workers have died from the coronavirus, while up to 6,500 have been affected directly by infection or factory closures.

While the government understands the need to limit the spread of the virus, it must keep food supply chains operational so that Americans have access to reasonably priced fresh, packaged, and preserved meats.

President Trump has ordered businesses to stay open under the Defence Production Act, which gives the government special powers in times of war or national crisis. In a document enforcing the act, it is stated that plant closures “threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency. Given the high volume of meat and poultry processed by many facilities, any unnecessary closures can quickly have a large effect on the food supply chain.”

Americans have been warned that they could see shortages of pork, beef, and chicken in May, assuming that factories will need to close if the workforce becomes infected. The President hopes to prevent this from happening.

Additional Precautions Will be Taken

There will be additional precautions taken by meat processing businesses, although these haven’t been made public as yet. Workers in meat factories are often within close distance of each other, and the nature of production lines makes this hard to avoid.

Factory workers already use personal protective equipment to prevent food contamination.

The Government is Balancing the Health of Workers with the Needs of the Nation

Some groups will likely oppose the order forcing meat factories to stay open. However, the reality is that these factories need to be functioning to prevent widespread shortages and keep food on American tables. The government is balancing the wider needs of the nation with current health needs during the Coronavirus Pandemic. As long as guidelines are adhered to, the risk of viral exposure and spread should be limited.