President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to keep meatpacking plants in the U.S. open during the coronavirus pandemic.

The move comes after more than a dozen beef, pork and poultry plants across the country shut down either temporarily or indefinitely in the past few weeks.

A statement from one of the meatpacking companies, Smithfield Foods, applauded the Trump Administration for taking the decisive action to invoke emergency powers to keep the plants open.

But the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, a labor union representing more than 1.3 million workers, said that at least 5,000 meatpacking and 1,500 food processing workers have been impacted by the coronavirus, either having tested positive, missed work to self-quarantine, were waiting for results, or were hospitalized.

They also said twenty employees in meatpacking and food processing have died, and 22 meatpacking plants have temporarily shuttered.

The working conditions in the plants make them susceptible to the coronavirus outbreaks. Where huge conveyor belts hung with carcasses snake through the facility, and to churn out lots of meat, workers stand in close quarters cutting meat.

Also, thousands of workers are in these plants at one time, and they also share break rooms, cafeterias and locker rooms.

And in Nebraska this week, some of the 2,000 workers at a Smithfield Foods pork plant outside Lincoln briefly walked off the job to protest plans to keep open the facility, which has reported 48 COVID-19 cases.

A worker there said, “It’s almost like [the plant’s owners] don’t care about us. Just keep production going, keep the money coming in, whatever they can do to just keep going, that’s how I feel. … And I know I’m not the only one who’s actually scared.”

The worker’s union has asked for daily coronavirus testing at meatpacking facilities and better access to personal protective equipment like masks and gloves.

The Biblical prophecies (Matthew 24) describe that pestilence and famine together will be signs which indicate the beginning of the end of this age of grace called the “beginning of sorrows.”

These events and conditions happening now are warning signs pointing to the nearing fulfillment of the Last Days prophecies at the end of this age revealing it’s time to prepare now for the nearing appearance of Jesus Christ for His Church by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of God as Jesus said we must (John 3) and His Apostles who were authorized (Matthew 16:19) described how (Acts 2).

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