Trump orders U.S. meat-processing plants to stay open despite coronavirus fears

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered U.S. meat-processing plants facing concerns about coronavirus outbreaks to stay open to protect the country's food supply.

This report produced by Chris Dignam.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday mandating that U.S. meat processing plants must stay open during the coronavirus crisis despite concerns that food-processing workers will be become infected at work.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "...we have had some difficulty where they are having a liability that is really unfair to them." Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said his order will help protect large meat processors such as Tyson Foods from legal liability, in case employees catch the virus as a result of having to go to work.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "...taking the liability which frees up the entire system." Unions said the order needed to do more to protect workers.

Trump's executive order comes after the world's biggest meat companies - including Tyson, Smithfield Foods, Cargill and JBS USA - halted operations at about 20 slaughterhouses and processing plants as workers fell ill, stoking fears of a potential food supply shortage.

The chairman of Tyson Foods warned this week that the food supply chain is "breaking." And a senior Trump administration official said if action were not taken, meat production capacity for the whole country could be reduced by as much as 80 percent.

Meanwhile, more than 6,500 meat and food-processing workers have been infected with or exposed to the new coronavirus, and 20 have died from it.

That's according to the country's largest meatpacking union, which said on Tuesday that the Trump administration should immediately compel meat companies to provide "the highest level of protective equipment" to workers and ensure daily coronavirus testing.

A Trump administration official said order will include guidance to minimize risk to workers who are especially vulnerable to the virus.

But critics have slammed Trump's order, including an activist group, which said in a statement: "Sending workers back to meat-processing plants without proper protection is tantamount to a death sentence."