A Ford assembly plant in Chicago halted some production and send thousands of employees home Tuesday after a worker tested positive for COVID-19, one day after the plant reopened.
The plant reopened Monday with new coronavirus-centered safety provisions that included social distancing reminders outside, temperature checks, and re-configured work stations inside, according to CBS Chicago. The staggering amount of workers sent home was due to the assembly nature of the working environment. (RELATED: ‘Operation Haircut’: Michigan Barbers Defy Lockdown, Offer Haircuts On Capitol Lawn)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 24: A Ford Explorers gets a final inspection as they roll off the assembly line at the Chicago Assembly Plant (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“All these people are crowded and on top of each other,” worker Michael Hopper told CBS. “How our jobs are set-up, if one person gets in the hole that would affect the person behind him.”
Hopper said he lost his brother to the coronavirus in early May.
A Ford spokesperson said the company worked to clean every area the infected worker may have been in contact with. Production was expected to resume the night of the infection. (RELATED: CDC Says Coronavirus Not Easily Spread Through Contaminated Surfaces)
“I’m worried right now,” worker Timothy Shy told CBS. “This is the second day, and we are already hearing about this.