Number of positive coronavirus cases at Cudahy's Smithfield plant 'not yet known'; 503 employees tested, city says

Many have requested the city of Cudahy release how many workers at the Smithfield plant have tested positive for coronavirus.

However, according to a statement on April 29 from the city's health department, they don't know yet. Workers who previously spoke to the Journal Sentinel estimated dozens of them may be infected.

“This is an on-going investigation and the exact number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 is not yet known,” Cudahy Health Officer Katie Lepak said. “Confirmed cases are reported to the health department in the community where they live. Local health departments are following up with employees and their contacts to stop the spread of the illness in the community.”

Many of the Patrick Cudahy workers live in Milwaukee’s South Side, an area that has seen a spike in cases in recent weeks. Many other workers live in South Milwaukee.

Lepak said the health department is working with Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services to investigate cases of COVID-19 linked to Smithfield Foods, 1 Sweet Applewood Ln.

The statement comes shortly after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration began an investigation into the Patrick Cudahy/Smithfield plant regarding COVID-19 safety practices.

To date, the city of Cudahy has reported 33 positive cases of COVID-19, according to the release from the Cudahy Health Department. Testing and contact tracing is underway to prevent further spread.

The Wisconsin National Guard assisted the Cudahy Health Department in providing COVID-19 testing for employees at Smithfield Foods, according to the release, with 503 tested between April 24 and April 28.

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Closed plant, closed lips

Smithfield announced plans in mid-April to close the Cudahy plant for a two-week period for sanitization after at least two confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Neither Smithfield Foods nor Cudahy Mayor Thomas Pavlic have provided specifics on how many workers have tested positive. Additionally, a health department representative previously told the Journal Sentinel that Pavlic had banned Lepak from talking about the numbers.

Pavlic previously said Wisconsin state legal counsel told him the city doesn’t have the legal authority to release the information since the records belong to the State of Wisconsin. However, Gov. Tony Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said the Cudahy Health Department is allowed to release the information.

Milwaukee County Supervisors Steve Shea (8th District) and Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (12th District) released statements April 28 demanding public disclosure of the COVID-19 cases at the Cudahy plant.

“We are in the midst of a public health emergency. People have a right to know the truth about what appears to be a catastrophic outbreak in the own backyards,” Shea said. “Workers have a right to know what risks they’ve been exposed to. I’m concerned that local elected officials are evading the public and the media and apparently colluding with Smithfield to hide the truth.”

Shea’s district covers Cudahy, St. Francis and South Milwaukee. Ortiz-Velez, whose district includes Milwaukee’s south side neighborhoods, said she thinks the outbreak in Cudahy could be affecting residents in her district.

“A large number of Smithfield employees live in my district and I believe the outbreak at the Cudahy plant is the reason for the current spike in COVID-19 cases in the 53215 zip code,” she said. “Smithfield’s insistence on operating its facility during the COVID-19 pandemic may well have made the situation worse, and needlessly put thousands of people at risk of infection.”

Maria Perez contributed to this report.

Contact Erik S. Hanley at (262) 875-9467 or erik.hanley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ES_Hanley.