More than 9,000 employees are sick as COVID overwhelms Arkansas workplaces

Poultry giant Tyson Foods Inc., the third-largest employer in Arkansas, reported 2,866 COVID-19 cases at its workplaces, nearly one-third of the state's 9,065 sickened workers across all industries from May 19, 2020, to April 8, 2021, according to an Arkansascovid.com analysis of Arkansas Department of Health data.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was produced by the University of Arkansas journalists in collaboration with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland. The Howard Center is an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of the late news industry executive and pioneer, Roy W. Howard.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Poultry giant Tyson Foods Inc., the third-largest employer in Arkansas, reported 2,866 COVID-19 cases at its workplaces, nearly one-third of the state's 9,065 sickened workers across all industries from May 19, 2020, to April 8, 2021, according to an Arkansascovid.com analysis of Arkansas Department of Health data.

The state health department publishes COVID-19 occupational illness reports that show businesses with five or more active cases. In less than one year, Tyson had 281 appearances in these reports. Comparatively, Walmart Inc., the largest employer in the state, had two appearances that totaled 12 sick workers.

Of Tyson's 21 major locations in Arkansas, four have not appeared in the state's data during the pandemic. Near the company's headquarters in northwest Arkansas, the Tyson location on Berry Street in Springdale reported 416 COVID-19 cases, the most of any company workplace in the data.

In working conditions that stress a quick turnaround on products and have close contact between employees, workers told Arkansascovid.com they were put at risk for catching COVID-19. Legal-aid attorneys and worker-advocacy groups said the state regulatory structure was overwhelmed by the pandemic. That, combined with a weak union presence, led to a failure to provide adequate protections for struggling workers.

Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2021/may/13/more-9000-employees-are-sick-covid-overwhelms-arkansas-workplaces/870995/

Note: I realize the thread title is misleading in the fact that it is using a cumulative amount rather than the number of people currently infected.