About the meat processing plants

[question everything]

We are told that they are hot zones for the virus because people work closely next to each other.

So.... would it be possible to reopen them with only, say, 25% of workers widely spaced? The ones who are willing to go back, that is.

Just wondering.

[dalton99a]

1. You would need a longer production line and a bigger building

[question everything]

6. Just reduced the production line. 10%, or so would be better than complete shutting, no?

[brewens]

2. I understood that their plan was to reopen at diminished capacity. They were going to space workers

out and of course have to slow the lines down because of that.

I think we export a lot of meat. I winder if they are discussing cutting that off. You'd think they would. That's not good but we may have no choice. It's probably not so easily done either. It's not as if you can take all the product slated for export and send it to our shippers just by snapping your fingers. That would take some planning logistics wise.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. About 10 percent of our meat production is for export.

[captain queeg]

3. I only know about large scale beef processing

Yeah it could be done, production would really fall of course. And you need at least a few people that knew all the jobs. Nowadays it’s like a production line and some people only know a specific job

[question everything]

5. But lower capacity should be better than total shutting, no?

[captain queeg]

9. You'd think so but I know the management types like max production

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Wearing Masks Would Help!

The pictures above show people 2 feet apart, unmasked.
Masks MUST help to some degree!

[totodeinhere]

8. No, I think we need to keep the meat and poultry plants closed for now.

If the choice is between having enough protein in Americans' diets or keeping employees of those facilities alive, then I would err on the side of the employees and their families who could also be exposed. Yes, having enough protein in ones diet is important but that's more of a chronic problem. People can live temporarily with too little protein but that virus can kill quickly, so the virus is more of an immediate problem whereas insufficient protein in the diet is more of a long term problem. We need to eradicate the virus, then we can reopen the plants. Then in the meantime, people need to be educated about alternative sources of protein which can hold them over for the time being.