For the morning crowd: In rural North Carolina, workers at poultry plants are testing positive for COVID-19, but the companies that own the plants aren't being transparent with the public about the number of people who've been infected: https://www.ourprism.org/1939857 

Something I learned reporting this story that I didn't know: The local public health department cannot release information to the public about a large outbreak originating at a place of business, unless the business relays that information to the public first.

As an example of what's happening in NC: Sources told me that the number of people testing positive at the Mountaire Farms poultry processing plant in Siler City is much higher than the 11 the company has gone public about.

Even though this is a public health crisis & the lack of transparency can literally kill workers, members of their families, & people in the community, the health department won't reveal a large outbreak at the poultry plant if the poultry plant doesn't go public first.

The reason cited is that this is private health information and revealing it is a privacy violation. But a worker I spoke to said the poultry plant is stonewalling workers too. She is learning about how many people are sick at her plant by watching the local news.

She said that after Mountaire Farms in Siler City went public with the first three cases, many workers stayed home out of fear. She thinks the company isn't being transparent as a way to keep people working through the pandemic, and to save itself from bad publicity.