A new analysis shows that new safety measures appear to be working.
The numbers come from the Food and Environment Reporting Network. They show infection rates among meat packers were five times lower in December than last may.
Compare that to the general population where infection rates increased nine times in the same period. In January, the meat and poultry sector reported 33 new cases a day per 100,000 workers. That is two-thirds lower than last May.
For the general population, the rate was 79 cases a day per 100,000 people.
In a statement from Julian Anna Potts, the President and CEO of the Meat Institute, “Meat and poultry workers are substantially less likely to be infected with COVID-19 than the general population as a result of the comprehensive protections instituted since the spring of 2020, when the pandemic’s impact on our sector peaked.”
