A new “Test Iowa” site for drive-through COVID-19 tests will start operating Saturday in Storm Lake, which is home to two Tyson facilities. About 800 work at the turkey processing facility and 2400 work at the pork plant.
When Tyson’s pork plants in Columbus Junction and Waterloo were temporarily closed this spring due to coronavirus outbreaks among workers, production was shifted to the plant in Storm Lake. In mid-April, Governor Kim Reynolds asked federal officials for more testing supplies so workers at all 18 meat packing and food processing plants in Iowa could be tested. Reynolds today said the drive-through “Test Iowa” sites are being used in many of those locations.
“We have a plan in place and we’ve got a great logistics team, that once we get a site established, they’re looking at the next two sites,” Reynolds said, “where we can do the testing, what makes the most sense for the facility and how we can move forward with that.”
The first “Test Iowa” site began operating April 25th in Des Moines and there are now other six “Test Iowa” sites running in the state today.