A spokesperson for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has told CBS News that about 145 field employees were absent from work as of April 28 due to exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Additionally, an inspector from the New York City area, one from the Chicago area and one from Mississippi have died, reports CBS News.
Paula Schelling, acting president of AFGE Council 45, which represents the inspectors, gave the FSIS a failing grade for protecting its own employees.