Pence praises food industry workers, exhorts them to continue working

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday praised workers producing and distributing the country's food supply during the coronavirus outbreak, but also urged them to continue to "show up and do your job," amid some reports of absenteeism. 

"It's been these heroic Americans, from the farm to the fork, that have made it possible for Americans to have one less worry, and they are truly inspiring heroes," the vice president said at a daily White House coronavirus task force briefing.

Pence said he heard earlier in the day from some of the "most prominent CEOs" in the country's meat and grain industry about some plants cutting capacity as a result of workers having concerns about being exposed to the coronavirus. And he vowed the administration will continue to work with such leaders to ensure worker safety amid the pandemic. 

He said he's also been told by industry leaders that some plants, in fact, have been forced to close temporarily, without specifying which ones.

"You are giving a great service to the people of the United States of America," Pence also told U.S. food supply workers. "And we need you to continue as a part of what we call our critical infrastructure to show up and do your job and know that we're gonna continue to work tirelessly in working with all of your companies to make sure that that workplace is safe."