Workers are wearing face masks and checking their temperatures daily, and the plant is being cleaned and sanitized each day, he said. A tent has been erected so workers can spread out during breaks.

Asked about food safety, JBS USA spokesman Cameron Bruett cited guidance from the Food and Drug Administration, which says: “Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.”

Hundreds of JBS workers in Greeley, Colorado, called in sick after coronavirus cases cropped up there, and another plant in Pennsylvania has partially shut down, according to news reports, even as demand for beef and chicken soars as more people stay home and cook.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said Friday that he didn’t have any information about whether workers at other food or manufacturing plants in Nebraska have tested positive for the coronavirus. But he said he had spoken with a JBS executive.

“They’ve had increased absenteeism, which has actually slowed down the number of people coming into the plant,” he said. “They’re sanitizing the plant and fogging it, so they’re working on wiping down surfaces. So they are taking a number of steps to be able to keep that plant sanitized and be able to separate the folks they got working there.”