The meat processing industry is facing pressure to boost production after a dip in output caused some households to worry about a possible meat shortage due to the coronavirus.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that meat processing plants are the next coronavirus hot spots, having found that roughly 3% of workers at 115 plants, over 4,900 employees, tested positive for the virus, with severe outbreaks threatening operations in several states. The agency attributes the growing rate of infection to lack of social distancing in plants, as most employees work in close proximity to one another in enclosed spaces.