Editor’s note: We carried a July 31 news item about the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and focused somewhat on the deaths of two Mission Foods employees. The company provided us with a compelling response by Paul de la O, regional director of manufacturing, which includes some tactics that all food & beverage processing plants should consider.

We want to express how much we value the contributions of all Mission Foods employees and that we are fully committed to protecting their health and safety. We hope the following facts provide assurance, especially to the Los Angeles community, about the measures we have taken – and continue to take – to protect health and safety. Our Olympic facility in Los Angeles has nearly 600 employees, and we strongly believe that our early, aggressive and ongoing actions have helped combat workplace spread:

Decisive Measures: Since early March, at our Olympic facility and companywide, we’ve taken a range of decisive measures exceeding the requirements of health authorities, including mandating the use of facemasks, implementing social distancing requirements, installing plexiglass barriers, restricting the use of common areas and dining areas, implementing enhanced cleaning and sanitization efforts, and screening all visitors to our facilities.

Personal Monitoring and Health Checks: Since early March, at our Olympic facility and companywide, we have required employees to perform self-evaluations of their temperatures and symptoms prior to leaving home for work, perform a check of temperatures and symptoms once they arrive at work, and also perform an additional temperature check mid-way through each shift.

Transparency and Reporting: Since early March, at our Olympic facility and companywide, we have worked hard to keep our employees informed. At our Olympic facility, we have hand-delivered a detailed notice to our employees every time we’ve been made aware of a confirmed case among our workforce. Although we do not share the identity of any affected employee, notices to our workforce have always included the affected employee’s department, shift and last day worked, as well as recommended preventive measures. Close contacts have also been immediately informed.

Positive Cases and High-Risk Individuals: Since early March, at our Olympic facility and companywide, we have consistently communicated that any employee who tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits symptoms of the illness is required to stay home until they are cleared to return to work in accordance with CDC and local guidelines, and they are provided two weeks of paid leave to do so. We have also encouraged and allowed high-risk individuals who may be concerned about contracting COVID-19 to take leaves of absence. This includes at our Olympic facility wher we have high-risk employees who have been given extended leave due to COVID-19.

Lastly, concerning the preventive closure of the Olympic facility on July 27, we resumed normal operations the following day. During this brief closure period, we worked closely with the Department of Public Health to review and explain our comprehensive COVID-19 protocols and procedures to protect the health and safety of our employees. We also provided all required information about cases among our workforce that we are aware of. The number of reported cases is cumulative since early March. We continue to collaborate on a daily basis with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to make sure we are in full compliance with all requirements and safety protocols and to do our part in helping contain the spread of COVID-19 in the community.