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business/technology Wednesday 1 april 2020
Companies find a new purpose; workplace rules have changed

The outbreak of the coro- make simple ventilators
navirus has dealt a shock starting the week of April
to the global economy with 20, and the safety mea-
unprecedented speed. Fol- sures will be tested at that
lowing are developments plant, the company said.
on Tuesday related to the _
global economy, the work HOME-COOKED IS KING:
place and the spread of British supermarkets just
the virus. had their busiest month in
_ recorded history.
INDUSTRY: New figures released Tues-
Less than a week after say- day by market research
ing it planned to reopen firm Kantar show that Brit-
five North American assem- ish grocery sales jumped by
bly plants, Ford has decid- 20.6% in March compared
ed that those facilities will with a year earlier, making
remain closed indefinitely. it the fastest rate of growth
The announcement to re- on record. Grocery sales
open got a cool reception totaled 10.8 billion pounds
from the United Auto Work- ($13.3 billion) over the past
ers union. four weeks, surpassing the
The spread of the virus has level seen during the busy
begun to hit Detroit hard. Christmas season. The av-
The number of coronavirus erage household bought
cases in Michigan reached the equivalent of five extra
6,498 Monday, an 18% in- days of groceries.
crease, while deaths rose While there was an ele-
to 184 from 132. TCF Center ment of panic buying, Kan-
in downtown Detroit soon tar said demand was also
will be turned into a 900- higher overall as people
bed field hospital for COV- made extra shopping trips
ID-19 patients who are not to feed the demand for
critically ill. more meals at home.
_ Conagra is reporting “sig-
SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE: nificantly elevated de-
The workplace environ- A woman her protective face mask balances her large-sized cup while watching her smart mand” as people stuff their
ment, for those companies phone in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate pantries for the long haul.
that must have workers on symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health The maker of Birds Eye,
location, is changing radi- problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Healthy Choice, Slim Jim,
cally. Associated Press Reddi-wip, Vlasic pickles
Walmart will soon be taking be returning to new rules seeking U.S. assistance number of facilities be- and Chef Boyardee, said
temperatures of its workers and safety precautions. to do so by Friday, and it cause the raw materials in the current quarter, ship-
as they arrive for their shifts. Ford is working with the wants to know how they will are readily available to the ments have increased ap-
The nation's largest private United Auto Workers union pay the government back. chemical maker. The ma- proximately 50%.
employer is sending infra- on new standards. The economic-relief bill jority of the sanitizer will be The company also supplies
red thermometers to all lo- Included is a requirement passed last week gives donated to health systems the food service industry,
cations, though that could that autoworkers workers the Treasury Secretary the and government agencies. which is under duress.
take several weeks. “self-certify” online every power to take an equity The company began mak- _
Any worker with a tempera- day before work that they stake in airlines that get ing sanitizer at its plant in GATHERING MOSS: Visa is
ture of 100 degrees or more do not have any coronavi- taxpayer help. The law pro- Stade, Germany. Those reporting a rapid slide in
will be sent home, with pay, rus symptoms. The compa- vides $25 billion for grants operations are being ex- travel-related spending by
until they are fever-free for ny will verify the self-certifi- and $25 billion in loans or panded at facilities in cardholders. It's also no-
at least three days. cation before letting them loan guarantees for pas- Auburn, Michigan; South ticed a decline in spending
Under pressure from work- inside, it said. senger airlines.?? Charleston, West Virginia; on restaurants, entertain-
ers, Walmart will be issuing Facilities will be reconfig- The Treasury warned air- Seneffe, Belgium; and Hor- ment and fuel, according
masks and gloves to those ured so that workers remain lines that failing to apply tolândia, Brazil. The Auburn to a regulatory filing. U.S.
who want them. Walmart six feet or more apart on by Friday may lead to de- site has the capacity to payments volume is down
said it has been following the factory floor. There will lays. American Airlines has produce approximately 4% for the month to date,
the guidelines from the be time between shifts for already said that it plans to 15,000 pounds of sanitizer with credit volume off 7%.
Centers for Disease Con- equipment to be sanitized seek $12 billion. a week, or nearly 30,000 Cross-border volume tum-
trol and Prevention, which and so that one shift of _ eight-ounce bottles. Similar bled 19% for the period, on
have said those items workers doesn’t cross paths NEW PURPOSE: Luxury cloth- or larger volumes are ex- a constant dollar basis.
would do little good for the with another, Ford said. ing companies, chemical pected to be produced at Carnival says it will lose
healthy. Those guidelines Some work stations will be producers, car makers and the other Dow locations. money this year and on
are now under aggressive shielded from others, while other companies continue Dow will produce hand Tuesday it suspended divi-
review by health officials. some workers will be given to revamp production to sanitizer for approximately dend payments to con-
"This is new territory," said protective gear depend- meet new supply demands four weeks, then assess ex- serve cash, according to a
spokesman Dan Bartlett. ing on need, the company in the pandemic. tending production based regulatory filing. The cruise
"We are learning on an said. Dow, which typically on raw material availability operator has taken the
hour-by-hour basis." _ does not list hand sanitizer and market need. unprecedented step of
In places shuttered by the AIRLINES: The Treasury De- among its products, is do- Ford is repurposing a parts a complete shutdown of
outbreak, many workers will partment is asking airlines ing just that at a growing factory west of Detroit to operations.q