Boeing partially reopening Puget Sound production
Apr 13, 2020, 6:37 AM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 6:58 am
Boeing workers in Washington. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
After initially indicating that it would be shutting down its Puget Sound production operations indefinitely, Boeing is reopening at least partially starting Monday.
According to a report from The Seattle Times, the company will be sending 2,500 of its 30,000 production employees in the Puget Sound region back to work, largely focused on defense projects.
That will include work on a Navy anti-submarine plane built in Renton, an Air Force tanker in Renton, and ongoing maintenance on grounded 737 MAX planes stored in Moses Lake.
Employees returning to work will be operating under social distancing guidelines, and will be provided with personal protective equipment as a safety precaution; they will be required to wear masks at all times while on shift. Workers will also receive wellness evaluations at the start of each shift, while operating under staggered schedules to mitigate the flow of people in and out of facilities.
This comes after the company had fully shut down its Puget Sound operations in late March. That announcement came one day after the news that a Boeing employee passed away due to complications from COVID-19. Boeing has reported at least 32 confirmed cases company-wide, 25 of which have been employees based in Washington state.
That shutdown was originally slated for two weeks, before being extended “indefinitely” after that period was up in early April.
Any Boeing employees who are able to work from home will continue to do so.
