Companies find a new purpose; workplace rules have changed

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments on Tuesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

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INDUSTRY:

Less than a week after saying it planned to reopen five North American assembly plants, Ford has decided that those facilities will remain closed indefinitely. The announcement to reopen got a cool reception from the United Auto Workers union.

The spread of the virus has begun to hit Detroit hard. The number of coronavirus cases in Michigan reached 6,498 Monday, an 18% increase, while deaths rose to 184 from 132. TCF Center in downtown Detroit soon will be turned into a 900-bed field hospital for COVID-19 patients who are not critically ill.

SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE: The workplace environment, for those companies that must have workers on location, is changing radically.

Walmart will soon be taking temperatures of its workers as they arrive for their shifts. The nation's largest private employer is sending infrared thermometers to all locations, though that could take several weeks.

Any worker with a temperature of 100 degrees or more will be sent home, with pay, until they are fever-free for at least three days.

Under pressure from workers, Walmart will be issuing masks and gloves to those who want them. Walmart said it has been following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have said those items would do little good for the healthy. Those guidelines are now under aggressive review by health officials.

"This is new territory," said spokesman Dan Bartlett. "We are learning on an hour-by-hour basis."

In places shuttered by the outbreak, many workers will be returning to new rules and safety precautions....