The Perry City Hall issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Perry.
The Iowa Department of Public Health recently announced an outbreak at the Tyson Foods plant in Perry, where 730 employees tested positive for COVID-19 after mass surveillance testing efforts in April. The Perry community appreciates the work of the Tyson Foods employees and all essential workers for their dedication to providing for the needs of Perry and the rest of the country.
The city of Perry encourages all residents to continue practicing physical distancing and other public health recommendations to slow the spread of the virus.
“Protecting the health and wellbeing of our residents is of the highest priority,” said Perry Mayor John Andorf. “We are asking everyone to do their part by continuing to practice physical distancing and other public health recommendations to slow the spread of the virus.”
All residents are strongly encouraged to follow these recommendations:
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- Continue to stay home as much as possible. Leave only for essential errands like groceries or getting medication. When you run these errands, send only one person from the household, if possible.
- Stay home when even mildly ill (the kind of illness that normally wouldn’t prevent you from your everyday activities)
- Limit social gatherings to only members of the same household who reside together.
- Call your doctor if you develop symptoms such as a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow/upper arm.
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Wear a facial mask when making essential trips where distancing is not possible.
- Maintain a six-foot distance from people outside your household.
As of today, May 6, 2020, there are 370 active cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County. The city of Perry continues to work closely with the Dallas County Health Department and other state and local partners to respond to this ongoing pandemic.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19, including a map with county, regional, and long term care outbreak information visit the IDPH website. Find Dallas County specific data and resources at the Dallas County website. Follow @DallasCoHealth for updated guidelines and information.
