Foster Farms announced Saturday that it will comply with a Merced County health department order and temporarily close one of its poultry plants in Livingston, Calif., the site of a coronavirus outbreak that has left eight workers dead.
The outbreak at the Central Valley facility has persisted for at least two months, according to the county health department. Officials said the company did not complete the widespread testing of employees that the county first recommended and then ordered.
The company said in a statement that it will close the plant Tuesday evening and will not resume operations until the evening of Sept. 7, following a deep cleaning of the facility and new rounds of testing for all 1,400 employees. In addition to the eight workers who have died of complications from COVID-19, at least 392 plant employees have tested positive, health officials said, making the outbreak one of the worst in the state.
An earlier order issued by the county health officer required the Foster Farms processing plant to close until it was able to reopen safely, but the county delayed enforcement for 48 hours after receiving a call from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A revised order, made public Saturday, said the plant building will be shut for at least six days starting Tuesday, but parts of the complex that are not experiencing outbreaks can remain open.
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