Colorado meat packing plant with thousands of employees closed after coronavirus outbreak

A meat packing plant in Colorado where dozens of employees have contracted the novel coronavirus is closed for a deep cleaning and all workers will be tested before they can return to their jobs, officials said Friday. The union that represents 3,000 employees at the JBS plant in Greeley said in a letter to state, county and company officials that two of its members have died. The union says at least 50 employees are infected with the virus; the company, which is headquartered in Greeley, put the number of JBS workers with Covid-19 at 36. The company said it was spending $1 million on test kits. "And I want to encourage people in Colorado that we will work to support that effort, but I also want to emphasize that all of the people that are working in food supply, from farmers to meatpackers to distributors to truckers to grocers, continue to have our gratitude," Pence said. Union president Kim C. Cordova said the plant should be shut down for seven days. "We fully understand the seriousness of a plant closure and its economic impact. However, safety must take precedence over profits," Cordova wrote in her letter. "One death is a tragedy -- two deaths at the same plant is simply beyond human understanding." Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told CNN's Erin Burnett the plant was closed and state government is working with federal and local officials to reopen next week...MORE