Man who worked at Tulare County fruit packing plant that had coronavirus has died
A worker at a fruit packing plant in rural Tulare County where some employees had coronavirus has died.
Legacy Packing and Cold Storage in Dinuba first confirmed two employees with COVID-19 in May, and said others since then have tested positive but are now recovered and back to work or will return next season.
“We are mourning the loss of Jose Lopez, who worked for us for more than 20 years and was respected and loved by all,” said Craig Hope, chief executive officer of AC Brands, which oversees the Dinuba plant.
“We can’t comment on the cause of his death given regulations regarding employee health privacy. We won’t comment on an unsubstantiated claim about where or how he contracted the virus.
“Our facility is in the heart of a COVID-19 hotspot and as an essential business we are committed to ensuring a safe workplace for all employees. We are meeting and/or exceeding all recommendations from the CDC and California health agencies regarding employee safety and will continue to do so.”
A number of packing plants across the nation and in the central San Joaquin Valley have had coronavirus outbreaks, including a large outbreak at a meat packing plant in Kings County.
The Dinuba packing plant said it doesn’t currently have any employees with COVID-19, and that the two workers it first confirmed had coronavirus have recovered and are back at work.
The company added that “like many, if not most, employers in the region, we have had other confirmed positive cases. We are grateful that they are all back at work or will be coming back to work once the next season kicks in.”
A company spokesperson referred to the facility in some references as Legacy Packing and Shipping, but said its legal name is Legacy Packing and Cold Storage.
Its website lists the cold storage facility and Suntreat Packing & Shipping Co. as sharing the same address.
Tulare County has large numbers of coronavirus cases that continue to rise. The Valley has been identified by state and federal health officials as a worrisome COVID-19 hotspot.
Dinuba – where the Legacy facility is located – has had at least 1,402 people test positive for coronavirus, according to data from Tulare County. A spokeswoman for its public health department did not respond to questions asking for more information.
Work to protect farmworkers from COVID-19
Hope said Legacy Packing and Cold Storage in May “made the responsible choice to shut down one of our packing lines because it was impossible to ensure social distancing.”
It has more than 300 workers at the facility during peak season, “but with the citrus season basically over for us, we’ve begun our annual maintenance process which means even fewer employees onsite,” described as less than 100.
Hope said the company also brought in free, on-site COVID-19 testing for employees and implemented numerous procedures to help keep workers safe.
Hope said those include: Increasing the sanitation of high-traffic areas; providing personal protective equipment; checking temperatures; scaling back operations and moving cubicles to allow for better social distancing; providing handwashing stations; implementing a no-visitor policy; offering telecommuting for jobs that can be performed remotely; employing two medical assistants at Legacy Packing and Shipping; and having ongoing meetings with employees to remind them about safe practices both inside and outside the facility.
“It is critical for all of us to continue to follow the CDC guidelines to prevent the spread in our community,” Hope said.
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 2:34 PM.
