Boeing plans to reopen South Carolina facility temporarily shuttered during pandemic
After shutting down its South Carolina facility for about a month because of the coronavirus pandemic, Boeing announced plans to resume operations.
The plant in North Charleston, where final assembly on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is done, is set to gradually reopen by the first week in May, officials said Monday in a news release.
Most employees are set to return to work on May 3 or 4, according to the release.
Boeing temporarily closed its South Carolina facility on April 8 in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“The health and safety of our teammates, their families and our community is our shared priority,” Boeing South Carolina site leader and 787 vice president and general manager Brad Zaback said in the release. “Our approach to resumption of operations ensures we honor that priority by ensuring personal protective equipment (PPE) is readily available and that all necessary safety measures are in place to resume essential work for our customers and prioritize the health and safety of our team.”
Zaback said Boeing has a supply of PPE for employees at the South Carolina facility, but did not provide information on the specific items, or the amount.
On Sunday, Boeing transported 1.3 million masks from China to be used in South Carolina hospitals.
The return to work will be staggered, according to the release. Senior leaders will return on Thursday, and will be followed by managers on Friday.
Boeing officials said those managers will contact each teammate returning to work with report date and shift information, and the shifts are scheduled to begin Sunday and Monday.
“Those who are not contacted should not return to the site until contacted by their manager to do so,” officials said in the release. “Teammates who are able to work from home should continue to do so.”
Boeing said it has added new safety protocols since the facility was closed in April after multiple employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
Enhanced cleaning of all the building on the North Charleston campus is one of the new safety measures, and it includes “pressure washing of restrooms and thorough cleaning of break areas, cafeterias, conference rooms and other community spaces,” acording to the release.
New hand sanitizing stations have been added across the site, officials said.
All employees are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings, while other workers in close quarters will be required to wear masks that are being provided, according to the release.
Another new addition will be voluntary temperature screening stations, while signs stressing the importance of cleanliness and social distancing will be placed across the facility, officials said.
There have been 435 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Charleston County, third in South Carolina behind Richland County (840) and Greenville County (649), according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Six coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Charleston County, health officials said.
On Monday, 142 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 5,613 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that three more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 177. State health officials described 149 of the people as elderly, 28 patients were middle-aged.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
There have been 46,532 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
Symptoms of coronavirus can include a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. Other symptoms that could be signs are chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell, according to DHEC.
Among the emergency warning signs of COVID-19 is trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and blueish lips or face, the CDC said.
As of Tuesday morning, 3,053,965 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 211,894 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 988,469 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 56,253 deaths have been reported, including 17,515 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
