DES MOINES, Iowa -- Members of Iowa's Latino community are planning a boycott of meat processing plants in the state after jumps in COVID-19 coronavirus numbers.
The Tyson plant in Columbus Junction alone has seen 148 positive cases and two deaths, with unknown numbers also being reported at the Tyson plants in Perry and Waterloo.
These meat processing plants are one of the largest employers in Iowa's Latino communities.
"This is not rocket science. It needs to happen now. The safety and health of the workers needs to be in front of the profits. Profits have to be on the back burner. If that doesn’t happen, total chaos," League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa Political Director Joe Henry tells WHO Channel 13. "These plants are ticking time bombs for communities."
While temperatures of employees are being checked and dividers have been installed, Henry is still calling these meat packing plants ticking time bombs.
Governor Kim Reynolds agrees that the state should be doing more to help the Latino community during the pandemic. This includes translating press releases and summaries of data into multiple languages.