LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska lawmaker is proposing new coronavirus protections for meatpacking workers in a new bill introduced Monday.
The proposal by Sen. Tony Vargas, of Omaha, would require meatpacking companies to provide masks and adequate space for social distancing to keep the virus from spreading. Companies would also have to pay sick leave for workers who test positive for the virus, separate from any other paid sick leave.
Vargas introduced a similar measure last summer, but the bill failed to advance. His south Omaha district has a large number of meatpacking workers, and his father died from complications of the coronavirus last year.