A court hearing will be held on Thursday. In the meantime, the judge told Smithfield to follow recommendations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The lawsuit alleges Smithfield has not provided sufficient protective gear or allowed for social distancing on the job. After not providing any masks to workers, employees as of April 20 were given a single mask to wear for a week; they were provided a replacement only if the mask broke, according to the complaint. Workers must take breaks in cramped hallways and restrooms, and they are not given the chance to wash their hands, the complaint says.

Employees were also discouraged from taking sick leave: Workers were offered a $500 bonus if they did not miss a shift in April. At least eight employees at the plant have had coronavirus symptoms.

Smithfield’s “current operations constitute a public nuisance because they unreasonably interfere with the common public right to public health” and because they violate Smithfield’s duty to provide its workers with a safe workplace, the complaint says.

Plaintiffs are being represented by Public Justice, a national nonprofit legal group.

Smithfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment.