Employees at Wilson pork plant worry about safety amid coronavirus outbreak

Fear is growing among employees still working at a Wilson pork processing plant, which continues to operate as Wilson County grapples with dozens of coronavirus cases.

Several Smithfield Packing Co. employees and family members said they were told by the plant manager that two employees had tested positive for the virus and that other employees are being forced to work longer hours without protective equipment.

"People are coming just sick. You're coughing. You're breathing all of that. No one wears face masks. They don’t even provide a face mask," one worker said Wednesday.

The worker asked not to be identified, saying that she fears losing her job for speaking out.

"They could care less who’s sick, who's got a snotty nose, who's coughing, whatever," she said.

"Social distancing" is impossible inside the plant, she said, and no personal protective equipment is provided to workers.

Smithfield Foods spokeswoman Keira Lombardo said the claims aren’t true, detailing a list of measures in place to protect workers, including thermal scanning of employees, installing plexiglass barriers, adding hand sanitizing stations, providing more protective gear, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of the plant and boosting health benefits.

The company also has instituted mandatory 14-day quarantines with pay for anyone exposed to the virus and has relaxed attendance policies to "eliminate any punitive effect for missing work" due to a quarantine or COVID-19 diagnosis, she said.

"All these actions complement the extensive safety measures in place at all our locations and are on top of the extremely hygienic and sanitary environments maintained at all times in our industry for food safety and quality purposes," Lombardo said in an email. "We’re also ensuring employees know how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 and making certain that they know how COVID-19 spreads."

She declined to confirm whether any employees have COVID-19, the illness associated with the coronavirus, citing employee privacy.

"I'm hoping that they shut us down like all other plants shutting down so at least we can be home, be safe," the worker said.