Sunland Park Meat Processing Plant Closed Due To COVID 19 Cases

A meat processing plant on the edge of El Paso has been ordered to close by the state of New Mexico due to an outbreak of COVID 19 cases among its employees.

The state of New Mexico has ordered the closure of Stampede Meat, located at 5700 McNutt Road right on the border between Sunland Park and Santa Teresa after at least 4 employees tested positive for COVID - 19. This is not the first wave of positive COVID 19 tests among Stampede's employees, KVIA reported that over 50 employees tested positive for COVID 19 last May. The Illinois-based company began operations in Sunland Park in 2018 with 300 employees and had planned to bring that number up to as many as 1,300 by 2024 according to our news partners at KVIA. The report by KVIA also outlined some of the safety guidelines followed by Stampede:

Stampede said its processing facilities are cleaned and sanitized daily, with high-touch areas sanitized every half hour. Employees and visitors are screened and have their temperatures taken before entering. Employees also are instructed to wear layered protection including face masks, neck warmers and face shields. - KVIA

The company is 1 of 3 New Mexico businesses ordered to close by the state of New Mexico due to reported COVID 19 cases. The other 2 businesses were Deming Manufactured Homes, located in nearby Deming, New Mexico and Chaparral Materials, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Stampede website says they provide their products to "leading restaurants, top retailers, club stores, leading food service distributors, home delivery customers, military channels and other emerging segments."