Ford decided to send several workers home from its development center near Cologne, Germany, after one employee tested positive for coronavirus.
According to the Koelnische Rundschau newspaper, the automaker sent home about 30 employees from the Merkenich facility, out of a total of roughly 4,000 people. The employee who tested positive for COVID-19 has been quarantined, reports Autonews Europe.
“All colleagues with whom the employee has had primary contact were identified and required to self-isolate and follow medical advice,” said Ford in an official statement.
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The American carmaker also said that it would disinfect the employee’s work environment.
“Business operations are not affected. The health and safety of our employees, dealers, customers and partners are always Ford’s highest priority.”
Ford’s Merkenich facility is the brand’s no.1 location for passenger car development in Europe, housing a design center, two test tracks, three wind tunnels, a crash laboratory, an acoustic center and an exhaust emissions laboratory.
Meanwhile, Ford has also extended its global non-essential travel ban from March 27 to April 17 in order to reduce whatever threat the virus might pose to its operations worldwide. Last week, Reuters reported that two Ford employees in China had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, yet their conditions were improving.
Recently, Ford of Europe chairman, Stuart Rowley said that his division doesn’t expect to lose production because of the pandemic.
“You can only get a really firm view two weeks out, but as we look two weeks out, we’re good,” he stated.
