A Smithfield Foods employee in Sioux Falls has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, according to a company spokesman.

The employee in question is being quarantined for 14 days with pay, and will not be permitted to return to work without being cleared by their healthcare provider, said Keira Lombardo, executive vice president for corporate affairs.

All employees at the Sioux Falls plant have been notified, and the work area of the employee who tested positive was "thoroughly sanitized," along with all common areas.

Smithfield's president and CEO Kenneth Sullivan said Friday that the company and its workers, along with farmers and supply chain partners, were "a crucial part of our nation’s response to COVID-19," and that Smithfield would maintain normal operations during the pandemic.

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The CDC says there is no evidence that COVID-19 is associated with food, and "there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures."