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At least 140 employees Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Los Angeles that makes famous 'Dodger Dogs' test positive for COVID-19

At least 140 employees who work at a Los Angeles slaughterhouse that processes pork have tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak was ...

At least 140 employees who work at a Los Angeles slaughterhouse that processes pork have tested positive for COVID-19.
The outbreak was reported at the Farmer John plant in Vernon, which manufactures the popular Dodger Dog, the 10-inch pork wiener hot dog that is sold at Dodger Stadium during homes games played by the Major League Baseball team.
The plant is owned by Smithfield Foods, the large meat producer that was forced to shut down several plants due to COVID-19 outbreaks in their facilities earlier this spring.
The initial outbreak in the Vernon plant was in mid-April, when six people who worked in the ham deboning department tested positive for COVID-19, according to LAist.
Workers are seen outside a Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, California, on Thursday. At least 140 employees at the plant have tested positive for COVID-19
Workers are seen outside a Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, California, on Thursday. At least 140 employees at the plant have tested positive for COVID-19
The plant is famous for its signature product, the Dodger Dog, a pork wiener that is sold at Los Angeles Dodgers home games at Dodger Stadium
The plant is famous for its signature product, the Dodger Dog, a pork wiener that is sold at Los Angeles Dodgers home games at Dodger Stadium
Smithfield Foods, the Virginia-based company, said on Sunday that they have put stringent health protocols in place at all of their facilities.
‘Our Smithfield Family members are crucial to our nation's response to COVID-19,’ the company said in a statement.
‘We thank them for keeping food on America's tables, and have implemented aggressive measures to protect their health and safety during this pandemic.’
The company says it has installed plastic barriers inside their factories. It also says that it requires employees undergo temperature checks regularly.
Smithfield employees also have the benefit of free virus testing as well as personal protective equipment, including masks and face shields.
The image above from 2018 shows pigs before they are slaughtered at the Vernon facility
The image above from 2018 shows pigs before they are slaughtered at the Vernon facility
The company was forced to temporarily shutter several plants, including one in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where 800 employees were infected with COVID-19.
The closures impacted the national supply of meat.
In Los Angeles County, there are at least 44,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 2,000 people have died. 

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