Ford has sent a number of workers home from its development center near Cologne, Germany, after an employee tested positive for coronavirus, the company confirmed.
The employee has been quarantined, Ford said in a statement. “All colleagues with whom the employee has had primary contact were identified and required to self-isolate and follow medical advice,” the statement added.
About 30 employees were sent home from the facility in Merkenich, where Ford employs about 4,000 people, the Koelnische Rundschau newspaper said in a report.
Ford said it was disinfecting the employee’s work environment.
“Business operations are not affected,” it added. ”The health and safety of our employees, dealers, customers and partners are always Ford’s highest priority."
Ford's location in Merkenich is the automaker’s center for passenger car development in Europe. On site are Ford’s European design center, two test tracks, three wind tunnels, a crash laboratory, an acoustic center and an exhaust emissions laboratory.
Ford quarantines workers after tech center employee tests positive for coronavirus
Ford has also extended its global ban on non-essential travel to April 17 from March 27 to reduce the threat of the coronavirus on operations, the company said.
Ford said last week that two employees in China have been diagnosed with the coronavirus but are getting better, Reuters reported.
Ford of Europe Chairman Stuart Rowley said the division doesn’t expect to lose production because of the virus. “You can only get a really firm view two weeks out, but as we look two weeks out, we're good,” he told Automotive News Europe on Thursday.
Rowley said the company was monitoring parts coming from China and in particular Hubei province, where so many factory operations have had to shut down on orders from the Chinese authorities.
He said the greater threat to production could come from northern Italy, where authorities over the weekend applied sweeping restrictions on travel and events in the Lombardy region, which includes Milan.
“Since the outbreak in northern Italy now we are focused on suppliers in that region,” Rowley said. “Let's say the border closes between Italy and Austria. That can hit you in hours. A part from China is probably on a boat. So at least you have got the pipeline on the boat and then you can start air freighting.”
Businesses in the northern Italian restricted area have been given some leeway to operate, according to a document from the Italian industry Confindustria lobby group seen by ANE.
That document says in cases of "proven working needs" employees are allowed to go to work. This means the restriction should “not lead to the blocking of production activities, work activities, and even less the blocking of transport and movement of goods from and for the perimeter areas,” the document said.
Maserati said that starting Monday only essential staff will report to work at its facilities in the Modena area. All others will work from home. Maserati employees about 1,350 at three locations in the Modena area.
Ferrari said in a release on Monday that it will continue to operate as long as it keeps getting the components it requires from suppliers, and for the perimeter areas,” the document said.
