Detroit Automakers Tell Employees: Keep Working, From Home If You Can

All three major Detroit carmakers issued a similar set of directions for their workers on Friday, March 13: Keep working, but do it at home if possible. The first to issue the directive was Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles. On March 12, FCA reported a worker at their Kokomo, Indiana plant had tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Later that day, a spokesperson for FCA told Bloomberg News that the Italian-American carmaker had issued directions to all office employees to quarantine themselves and work remotely. The next day, both GM and Ford put out statements with similar directions: employees who can keep working from home should do so, effective Monday, March 16. CEOs Mary Barra of GM and Jim Hackett of Ford wrote memos to their employees, directing them to take relevant equipment home and stay in touch with their supervisors.