meat plants Why Are Meat Processing Plants Reopening After Major COVID-19 Outbreaks? By Lea Ceasrine & Rose Aguilar • May 5, 2020 Jeremy Fugleberg / Forum News Service Listen Listening... / 24:46 On this edition of Your Call, we're getting an update on the COVID crisis in meatpacking plants. At least 31 meat processing plants owned by Smithfield, JBS and Tyson Foods have had coronavirus outbreaks.