Editor,
In last week’s paper in the article about Covid-19 in Carroll County, three pieces of information are included which we find both disturbing and irreconcilable.
Tim McKinney is quoted as saying that at the Berryville Tyson plant “they are sending people home at the first sign of illness. They are having production issues because they are sending so many people home.” Are these people being tested and told to self-quarantine? Are their contacts being traced and tested?
The next paragraph states that the Arkansas Department of Health says, “that six of the Covid-19 cases in Carroll County are poultry plant workers.” If only six poultry plant workers in the whole county are sick with Covid-19, how can that possibly be causing production issues in the Berryville plant?
The article goes on to state that “there have also been reports of family members of Tyson workers coming down with the virus, but the ADH doesn’t track cases in family members of poultry plant workers.”
Besides being stupid, outrageous, and racist (many of these workers are Hispanic), such a policy would help to explain why Carroll County is reported to have only 25 cases of Covid-19 as of June 2.
If we, the people of this county are to respond sensibly and safely to the challenge of Covid-19, we need a state government that we can rely on to do its job honestly and correctly and share the actual facts with all of us.
Pat Costner and David Zimmermann