Smithfield Foods Plant Ordered To Close Amid Coronavirus Concerns

ST. CHARLES, IL — The Kane County Health Department has shuttered a local Smithfield Foods, Inc. meat processing facility amid coronavirus concerns, according to a news release. The St. Charles plant was ordered to close Friday, officials said.

The news release said "The order temporarily closes the facility so that the health department can work with the company in mitigation efforts as well as providing education relative to social distancing and employee safety relative to personal protective equipment."

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Kane County Health Departments spokesperson Susan Stack told Patch via email that she has "no further information at this time" whether any employees at the St. Charles plant tested positive for coronavirus.

On its website, Smithfield said "out of respect for our employees' legal privacy, we will not confirm COVID-19 cases in our facilities." The company also said it is "doing everything in our power to help protect our team members from COVID-19 in the workplace and educating employees about how to protect themselves outside of work."

But a woman told ABC Chicago that her mother, who is hospitalized with coronavirus, is a Smithfield employee. The family believes the woman, who is in her 60s, contracted the virus at the Smithfield facility, they told ABC. The family also claims at least 19 other workers at the facility have tested positive.

Smithfield Foods also issued an announcement Friday saying it would "proactively suspend operations" at its plant in Monmouth, Illinois after "a small portion of its 1,700 employees tested positive for COVID-19."

The company also has a web page with information about measures it has taken to fight coronavirus.

A Smithfield facility in Wisconsin has also temporarily closed.

The closure in St. Charles came days after a worker filed a lawsuit against Smithfield alleging unsafe working conditions at a plant in Missouri.

Smithfield Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday morning. Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, Smithfield Foods produces packaged meat products and has over 54,000 employees throughout the country.