Name: Iowa officials won't disclose coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants unless media asks
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Iowa officials won't disclose coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants unless media asks

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Des Moines RegisterView CommentsIt is the state of Iowa's policy to publicly confirm outbreaks of the coronavirus at meatpacking plants or other businesses&nbsp;only when asked by members of the media, Iowa Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said at a news conference Wednesday.&nbsp;The disclosure came as reporters sought information about a spike of cases in Buena Vista County, where Tyson Foods operates two meatpacking plants in Storm Lake.&nbsp;The number of confirmed cases in the county of about 20,000 people&nbsp;increased by 417&nbsp;from Monday to Tuesday, more than doubling the existing total of confirmed cases.&nbsp;Reisetter said the state would only confirm outbreaks at businesses if 10% of a company's employees test positive. And even then, they will wait until reporters ask about those outbreaks."We've been announcing them at these press conferences as the questions have been asked," Reisetter said.&nbsp;Reynolds defended the policy at the Wednesday's briefing.&nbsp;"As questions arise, we've been able to address those at the press conferences," the governor said.&nbsp;In an email, Tyson Foods said Wednesday it has in Buena Vista County. Results are expected to be released next week. The testing took place last week.The&nbsp;state does not make information about outbreaks at meatpacking plants&nbsp;available on its website, , as it does with outbreaks at long-term care facilities, despite the fact that meatpacking plants have shown to be among the places the virus is spreading fastest.&nbsp;More:"Sometimes it takes us a little bit of time to pull together the information and to understand whether there's been an outbreak in a particular facility," Reisetter said when asked to explain the rationale behind the policy. "It also provides an opportunity for the business to independently, outside of having to do it at a press conference, to notify their communities . It gave them the opportunity to take the lead in making that notification."She said contact tracing&nbsp;— the process of tracking down the people an infected individual&nbsp;has interacted with&nbsp;— helps notify those within the community who have reason to be concerned. The news doesn't have to come from a press conference, she argued.&nbsp;Reynolds praised the state's transparency throughout the pandemic.&nbsp;"We are really trying very hard to provide Iowans with an incredible amount of data to be as transparent as possible," she said. "... We can always do better. We're always looking at the information we're getting, making sure that we're protecting the privacy of Iowans while trying to provide Iowans with the information they need to also ensure their safety."However, numerous local leaders say they've&nbsp;struggled to gain information about potential outbreaks of&nbsp;the virus within their own communities.&nbsp;In Perry, in their efforts to work with Tyson and the state public health department to get information about the number of positive cases at the company's pork processing plant there.Reynolds announced in early May that 730 workers there&nbsp;— nearly 60% of employees — were infected. But that announcement came 10 days&nbsp;after all the plant's workers had been tested."You just have to assume that all the cases reported in a county are in your community ... but it's not the most accurate way to make decisions," said Sven Peterson, Perry's city administrator.More:State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, has called on state authorities to release infection statistics about outbreaks at meatpacking plants and &nbsp;clarifying that federal health privacy laws don't prevent those disclosures.&nbsp;Reynolds said Wednesday&nbsp;it's valuable for people within a community to understand where outbreaks are occurring so they can take extra precautions to protect themselves, and seemed to suggest steps could be taken to increase communication to local leaders."We can take a look at our local partners and see if there's a better way that we can keep Iowans informed about what's going on," she said. "Because that serves us all, you know. Really, that's how we, you know, can can be mindful of others, take extra precautionary measures&nbsp;— and maybe that means wearing a face mask when you go out, or just thinking about it a little bit differently if we know the virus activity is increasing a little bit." The state was reporting at 3:45 p.m.&nbsp;Wednesday&nbsp;that there are 18,360 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 656 in the past 24 hours. During the same time frame, the number of COVID-19-related deaths increased by 16 to reach 491.&nbsp;Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at .Support reporters who follow your government by becoming a subscriber. Sign up at .View Comments

Des Moines RegisterView CommentsIt is the state of Iowa's policy to publicly confirm outbreaks of the coronavirus at meatpacking plants or other businesses&nbsp;only when asked by members of the media, Iowa Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said at a news conference Wednesday.&nbsp;The disclosure came as reporters sought information about a spike of cases in Buena Vista County, where Tyson Foods operates two meatpacking plants in Storm Lake.&nbsp;The number of confirmed cases in the county of about 20,000 people&nbsp;increased by 417&nbsp;from Monday to Tuesday,...

Iowa officials won't disclose coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants unless media asks

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