America’s Obsession With Meat Is Accelerating the Pandemic

The decision to keep meatpacking plants open has done more harm than good

A man walks past a mural on the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, CA after 153 workers tested positive for Covid-19 on May 26, 2020. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

In June, 438 employees at a South Dakota meatpacking plant tested positive for Covid-19. That’s right: 438. While that number may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to how many people are infected across the United States, it represented a…