HealthDay Reports: Trump Orders Meat Plants to Stay Open as US Coronavirus Cases Pass 1 Million
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that forces meat processing plants to stay open and classifies meat processing as critical infrastructure.
Trump Orders Meat Plants to Stay Open as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Pass 1 Million
WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the U.S. coronavirus case count climbed past 1 million and the death toll neared 60,000, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that forces beleaguered meat processing plants to stay open so the country's food supply isn't threatened.
The order used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure, to try to keep chicken, pork and other meat flowing to supermarket coolers, the Associated Press reported.
More than 20 meatpacking plants have been shuttered under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick, the wire service said.