MILWAUKEE -- Cargill Meat Solutions on Emmber Lane near Canal Street in Milwaukee will close Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. to test employees for COVID-19.
A company spokeswoman issued this statement to FOX6 News on Tuesday:
It was not immediately clear whether any positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among Cargill employees. However, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' website features a page regarding COVID-19 investigations in facilities throughout the state, including workplaces.
As of April 29, that page showed a total of 32 facility-wide public health investigations at non-health care workplaces in southeast Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee County's coronavirus dashboard showed Tuesday 3,447 positive cases in the county, along with 196 deaths due to COVID-19. Of the positive cases, 2,566 have been patients in the city of Milwaukee.
Cargill's announcement came amid concerns for the nation’s food supply chain, after plants operated by Tyson, Smithfield and JBS were all forced to temporarily close. Industry analysts and insiders have predicted supermarket shoppers might soon be feeling the effects of hiccups in the supply chain, possibly seeing fewer options in the meat aisle, along with slightly higher prices.