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Local Tyson Foods plants see an increase in COVID-19 cases

A local woman who died from the virus worked at a Tyson Foods plant in Van Buren where dozens of employees also have the virus.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — As COVID-19 cases continue to spike across Arkansas, we're learning more about the outbreak at local Tyson Foods plants.

A local woman who died from the virus worked at a Tyson Foods plant in Van Buren where dozens of employees also have the virus.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health, the Tyson plant in Van Buren has 30 active COVID-19 cases as of June 26. 

Sebastian County Coroner Ken Dobbs says he doesn't know if the 53-year-old woman who died from the virus, whose identity has not been released, contracted it while working at the plant.

Some Tyson employees say they're worried about their safety. 

Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Nate Smith addressed it briefly during the governor's daily COVID-19 press conference saying, "We do not have any specific information on that plant, but we have been working with poultry-related businesses to try and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their worksites, this is a situation we take very seriously."

As of June 26, there are 163 active COVID-19 cases at the Tyson plant in Rogers and 109 at the Springdale plant.

Credit: Arkansas Department of Health
Credit: Arkansas Department of Health

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