Outbreak occurs at Dallas-area meat plant

DALLAS — At least 40 workers at the Brakebush Bros. Inc. poultry plant in Irving have tested positive for COVID-19, as infections widen in the nation’s meat and poultry industries.

The Wisconsin-based food processor closed the plant for four days last month for a deep cleaning and has strengthened its employee safety precautions since the midMarch outbreak. The plant employs more than 750 people.

No citations from local, state or federal authorities have been given to the company over the outbreak, spokesman Phill Trewyn said. Two dozen of the infected employees have returned to work, he added.

“Brakebush Brothers continues to encourage employees to alert supervisors if they are not feeling well and to seek proper health care,” Trewyn said in a statement. “The company, in addition to normal paid-time-off policy, is providing paid sick leave to employees who have medically verified cases of COVID-19.”

Brakebush follows protocols set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including home isolation and receiving appropriate medical care, he said. The company has also worked with local public health officials to address employee safety, he added.

Trewyn said that if employees choose not to come to work because they believe they may have the virus or have been exposed to it, they can take unpaid time off without jeopardizing their job. He detailed new steps to protect workers, such as taking temperatures of people entering work areas, using surgical masks and placing plastic dividers in work spaces.