Iowa fines beef plant $957 after huge coronavirus outbreak

By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa regulators have issued their first citation to a meatpacking plant with a large coronavirus outbreak that sickened its workforce. The $957 fine was for a minor record-keeping violation. Inspection records show the outbreak at the Iowa Premium Beef Plant in Tama in April resulted in 338 of the plant’s 850 workers testing positive for the virus. That’s 80 more than the state previously acknowledged. The plant is owned by Kansas City-based National Beef. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration said on June 1 that it had launched inspections at the Tama plant and four other meatpacking plants where thousands of workers had tested positive.