Ford halts production at Kansas City plant over coronavirus case
Infected employee and those who came in contact with the employee will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days
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Ford said it will temporarily halt production for deep cleaning at a Kansas City, Missouri, plant after an employee tested positive for coronavirus.
The production pause comes as U.S. automakers are adjusting to a new normal after resuming operations earlier in May.
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"In this instance, our protocol calls for us to deep clean and disinfect the employees' work area, equipment, team area and the path that the employee took while at the plant today," Ford said in a statement.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson talks to a Ford representative outside Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant May 15, 2020, in Claycomo, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A man walks along a sidewalk marked for social distancing to help prevent the spread of coronavirus outside the entrance to Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant May 15, 2020, in Claycomo, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The pause applies to the transit side of the plant. The infected employee and those who came in contact with the employee will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days as part of safety standards developed with the United Auto Workers and infectious disease experts, Ford said.
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Safety is "the number-one objective," a UAW spokesperson told FOX Business.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | FORD MOTOR CO. | 11.28 | +0.47 | +4.39% |
"The UAW is vigilantly seeking to monitor and enforce all of the protocols that have been put in place. ... We also are looking to enhance those protocols when available," the spokesperson said. "We continue to advocate for as much testing as possible, and full testing when it is available."
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Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler shut down U.S. operations in March, although some facilities pivoted to making personal protective equipment and ventilators. Ford said it had shipped one million face shields to protect health care workers by early April.