I think it was more about whether that risk was justified, considering what we were seeing clearly with our own eyes, Thayer said referring to the video of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee into George Floyds neck.
Id rather die as a result of catching the virus this way than because I had to go back to work, Thayer said of the protests.
She tried her best to take precautions at the demonstrations, such as wearing a mask, but social distancing became impossible when police set off flash-bang grenades and sprayed tear gas into crowds.
Thayer isnt alone. For the past week, thousands of protesters around the country have been weighing their passion for social justice with fears related to the coronavirus, whichhas killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S. Even some public health officials have said that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, these protests are too important to skip.
Crowds have been banned throughout COVID-19 because of the danger of spreading the virus. But there are other health concerns related to attending protests, such as the deleterious effect of tear gas. This is especially true for the elderly. Health officials have also warned those who are already sick should get tested and stay at home.
Some advocates have officially expressed fear around the idea of protesting during the coronavirus threat. On the Friday protests first started in Seattle, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County released a statement that may have come as a surprise to some.
Our board of directors was initially conflicted about whether to boost these demonstrations, the advocacy group said in a statement. Ultimately, we decided that the situation is too dangerous for us to encourage greater attendance at these in-person protests.
The statement pointed out that COVID-19 had already hit communities of color particularly hard. Here in King County, Latinos now account for 40% of COVID-19 cases, even though they make up only 13% of the population. African Americans have also been disproportionately affected.
We refuse to encourage our community members to needlessly risk their lives and their health during this time when other avenues of action are available, the statement read.
Zawadi Chege, a 20-year-old resident of Tacoma who just finished community college, said as a former student with limited funds, she couldnt think of other meaningful actions to participate in.
I was really scared, and so was my mom, Chege said of the protest she attended in Tacoma. But I think its different being Black and undocumented. Ididnt feel like I had a choice.
Black lives being murdered by policeor people who are supposed to protect usis not OK, Chege said.
Chege layered on protection: gloves, a T-shirt turned into a makeshift mask and a bandana. Chege said her face was so covered in clothing that only her eyes were exposed. She also carried a backpack full of essentials, includinghand sanitizer.
If I was going to be arrested, thats what I would want to be arrested for out of anything else, Chege said of attending the protest.
Despite the apparent danger, many public health officials have encouraged participation indemonstrations during the pandemic. Infectious disease experts at the University of Washington circulatedan open letter supporting the proteststhat ultimately drew more than 1,200 signatures. Officials havenoted that standing up to police brutality means fighting an equally serious public health concern: racism.
The actions of these police officers are unconscionable and so blatantly racist, the outrage is justified, Patty Hayes, director of Public Health Seattle & King County, said in a statement. We cant let COVID-19 distract us from our resolve.
Let us join together in King County and show how it is possible to break down the historical institutional racism that affects our communities every day, Hayes said.
Racism is a public health threat that cant be ignored, Washington state Health Secretary John Wiesman said in a statement. I want our Black community members and all people of color to know that the Department of Health is standing with you in solidarity, support and love.
Have you ever heard that taking vitamin D supplements or following a ketogenic (keto) diet will protect you from the new coronavirus? In this Special Feature, we explain why these and other persistent myths are not grounded in science.
Even before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, their director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of the danger associated with spreading false information about the virus.
At a conference on February 15, 2020, he declared that were not just fighting an epidemic; were fighting an infodemic.
Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus and is just as dangerous, he emphasized.
However, it can be difficult to tell what is credible and what is not given the sheer quantity of information that people are sharing both on and offline.
Previously on Medical News Today, we compiled a list of 28 myths surrounding the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this Special Feature, we will take an in-depth look at five more persistent myths and explain why people should not take them at face value.
Some articles claim that if a person takes vitamin D supplements, they will be less likely to contract SARS-CoV-2.
In part, people have based these claims on a controversial paper that appears in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
The papers authors claim to have found a correlation between low mean levels of vitamin D in the populations of certain countries and higher rates of COVID-19 cases and related deaths in those same countries.
Based on this correlation, the authors hypothesize that supplementing the diet with vitamin D may help protect against COVID-19. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this would actually be the case.
In a rapid review of the evidence published on May 1, 2020, researchers from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom unequivocally conclude: We found no clinical evidence on vitamin D in [the prevention or treatment of] COVID-19.
They also write that [t]here was no evidence related to vitamin D deficiency predisposing to COVID-19, nor were there studies of supplementation for preventing or treating COVID-19.
Other researchers who have conducted reviews of the existing data surrounding a potential relationship between vitamin D and COVID-19 agree.
One report by specialists from various institutions in the U.K., Ireland, Belgium, and the United States which appeared in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health in May 2020 also points to a lack of supporting evidence in favor of taking vitamin D supplements to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2.
The reports authors warn that:
[C]alls [for high dose vitamin D supplementation as a preventive strategy against COVID-19] are without support from pertinent studies in humans at this time, but rather based on speculations about presumed mechanisms.
They also note that although sufficient vitamin D can contribute to overall good health on a day-to-day basis, taking supplements without first seeking medical advice can be harmful.
For example, taking too much vitamin D in the form of a dietary supplement could actually jeopardize health, especially among people with certain underlying chronic conditions.
Another widespread rumor is that taking zinc supplements could help prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2 or treat COVID-19.
It is true that zinc is an essential mineral that helps support the functioning of the human immune system.
Starting from this notion, a team of researchers from Russia, Germany, and Greece hypothesized that zinc might be able to act as a preventive and adjuvant therapeutic for COVID-19. Their results appear in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.
The researchers refer to in vitro experiments that apparently showed that zinc ions were able to inhibit the action of a certain enzyme that facilitates the viral activity of SARS-CoV-2.
However, they also point out the lack of actual clinical evidence that zinc might have an effect against SARS-CoV-2 in humans.
Other papers that cite the potential of zinc as an adjuvant in COVID-19 therapy including one that appears in Medical Hypotheses are more speculative and not based on any clinical data.
In a Practice patterns and guidelines paper from April 2020 which appears in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health nutritionist Emma Derbyshire, Ph.D., and biochemist Joanne Delange, Ph.D., reviewed existing data about zinc (alongside other nutrients) in relation to viral respiratory infections.
They found that, according to available research in humans, zinc supplementation may help prevent pneumonia in young children, and that zinc insufficiency may impair immune responses in older adults.
However, they note that there is not enough evidence about the role of zinc supplementation in preventing viral infections in general.
Rigorous trials [] are yet to determine the efficacy of zinc supplementation, they write.
Vitamin C is another essential nutrient that has received a lot of attention. Many people believe that it can prevent or even cure the flu or common cold.
Although it is true that sufficient vitamin C can help support immune function, current evidence regarding its effectiveness in treating or preventing colds and influenza is limited and often contradictory.
Despite this, there have been claims that this vitamin might help fight infections with the new coronavirus.
It is possible that people are basing these claims on an existing ongoing clinical trial in China, which is looking at the effects of high dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C on hospitalized patients receiving care for severe COVID-19.
The researchers expect to complete the trial by the end of September 2020. No results are available in the interim.
Commenting on the trial, experts from the Linus Pauling Institute which focuses on health and nutrition at Oregon State University in Corvallis explain that although high dose IV vitamin C might help alleviate COVID-19 symptoms in severely ill patients, regular vitamin C supplements are very unlikely to help people fight off infections with SARS-CoV-2.
The experts warn that IV vitamin C is not the same as taking vitamin C supplements, as they would never raise blood levels of this vitamin as highly as an IV infusion would.
They also warn people who may be tempted to up their dosage of vitamin C of the fact they could end up taking too much and experiencing adverse side effects.
Keto diets, which are high in fats and low in carbohydrates, have also received some attention in the context of treating or preventing COVID-19.
This may be because there is some evidence to suggest that keto diets could help boost the immune system. However, much of that evidence is based on animal studies rather than human trials.
Also, an upcoming clinical trial from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, proposes to look at whether or not a ketogenic intervention might help intubated COVID-19 patients by reducing inflammation.
The intervention would necessitate the administration of a specially devised ketogenic formula through enteral feeding. It would be a last-resort procedure for those in a critical condition.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that following a keto diet could help a healthy person prevent or treat infection with SARS-CoV-2.
However, there is evidence to suggest that keto diets can expose people to certain health risks such as by raising cholesterol levels. Keto diets may also have side effects, such as flu-like symptoms, headaches, nausea, and changes in blood pressure.
There are also claims suggesting that various herbal medicines might be able to fight off the new coronavirus.
This may partly be based on a statement issued by a Chinese official in April 2020, suggesting that certain herbal drugs could help treat COVID-19, as a communication in The Lancet on May 15, 2020, reports.
Author Yichang Yang from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China warns that people should take encouragements to use herbal remedies in the treatment of COVID-19 with a pinch of salt.
Yang warns that herbal remedies including the drugs that the Chinese official names can have unexpected risks and may not be as effective as some people claim. Also, evidence from human trials is very limited.
For similar reasons, he also notes that the mechanisms through which herbal drugs work on the body are often unclear, which may mean that they are not always safe.
A mystery herbal cure for COVID-19 on sale in Madagascar a herbal tea made from artemisia plants has also spurred worry among specialists, who say that the remedy may do more harm than good.
Matshidiso Moeti, director of WHO Africa, has also commented on this:
We [the WHO] would caution and advise countries against adopting a product that has not been taken through tests to see its efficacy.
Although people may be tempted to try anything and everything in the face of such a threat to health as SARS-CoV-2, the most important preventive step is to follow official national and international guidelines for public health, as well as individual health advice from doctors and other healthcare professionals.
For more information on the new coronavirus and how to stay safe during the pandemic, take a look at the information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO.
For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here.
After high school, Dr. Henry joined the naval reserves, drawn by the camaraderie, naval navigation and communication techniques, and the lure of the open ocean. She enlisted in her third year of medical school and graduated to become a fleet medical officer in Esquimalt, B.C., not far from where she lives now.
I look back on it now, a lot of the work I was doing with a group of captive men was prevention. They would tease me about always telling them to wear sunscreen and use condoms, said Dr. Henry, who stayed with the navy for almost 10 years, meeting her husband there. (They separated five years ago, after 20 years of marriage, and never had children.)
During a gastrointestinal outbreak onboard, Dr. Henry used basic epidemiological legwork and a microscope to trace the source of the sickness to contaminated bottled water theyd taken on board in Tahiti.
One day at her job at a clinic in San Diego, a man burst in with a gun, demanding to talk to someone. Dr. Henry stepped forward. I said, Im somebody. Lets talk, she recalled. He burst into tears. He was in pain and distraught.
It turned out he was recovering from open-heart surgery and was unsure how he would pay the medical bills.
It was while working for the World Health Organization tracing Ebola outbreaks in Uganda that Dr. Henry developed her ideas about how best to respond to public health emergencies. The keys to an effective quarantine, she came to understand, were communication and support, like food and medical follow-up, not punitive measures.
If you tell people what they need to do and why, and give them the means to do it, most people will do what you need, she said.
Bill Campling / USA Today Network; Getty Images(Photo: Bill Campling / USA Today Network,Getty Images)
ASHEVILLE - Thirty Buncombe County residents havedied due to COVID-19, as of noon June 5.
Of those, 25 were residents of long-term care facilities. Buncombe's lab-confirmedcase count of the illness was at 376.
More: 'Not overwhelmed,' Mission Hospital responds to viral Facebook post concerning increase in COVID-19 patients
The Citizen Times is providing this story for free to readers because of the need for information about the coronavirus. We encourage you to further support local journalism by subscribing.
As interim health director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore spoke about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic onBuncombe County, she asked the community to "keep working together" to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Here are five important takeaways from the briefing:
Mullendore said 80 of the county's confirmed cases, or 22%, have been in black, indigenous or people of color, who make up 8.4% of Buncombe's population.
Additionally, about 90 individuals, or 25% of those included in the county's confirmed cases, identify at Latinxa population that makes up 6.7% of Buncombe.
Tunnel Road had little traffic hours before the Buncombe County Stay Home, Stay Safe declaration went into effect on March 26, 2020. The declaration closed non-essential businesses in an effort to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. (Photo: ANGELI WRIGHT/ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES)
Mullendore said this "uneven impact of COVID-19 illness" is apparent statewide and nationally,where it also is showing up as disproportionate hospitalizations and deaths.
"Structural racism and the inequities it leads to in housing, employment, income, education and other social determinants of health result in these worse health outcomes," said Mullendore.
More: Will Asheville nightly protests and tear gassing lead to a coronavirus outbreak?
She said the county has implemented free testing for COVID-19 with an eye toward these communities, "acknowledging that these populations are disproportionately represented in our service sector and they don't have the privilege in their work settings or have access to employment opportunities that enable the use of teleworking."
Information on locations and schedules of that testing can be found at BuncombeReady.org.
Messages to employees of Aston Park Health Care Center decorate the entrance May 29, 2020.(Photo: Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com)
In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, Mullendore said Buncombe officials want long-term care facilities to do baseline testing of all residents and health care personnel.
"What we are seeing is that many of these facilities are trying and continuing to make efforts to regularly test all staff and residents based on (CDC) guidance, but unfortunately for some of these facilities, they're running into barriers such as insurance providers who are not covering the cost of testing for their staff," she said, adding that the issue with insurance is"a significant barrier to keeping this high-priority population safe through this pandemic."
More: Families in fear at stricken Asheville nursing home
More: As WNC nursing home coronavirus deaths spike, testing efforts and official action stall
Mullendore said Buncombe has reached out to the state and is working to try to overcome the challenges.
She said long-term care facilities can contact the county "if they need additional guidance or support in their COVID-19 response" at congregantcare@BuncombeCounty.org.
Not everyone is taking Public Health guidance seriously, said Mullendore.
"Some people are asymptomatic and do not know that they have the illness," she said.... "It's important to know that if you are asked by a Public Health communicable disease nurse to isolate or quarantine, it is important that you take it seriously and follow their guidance right away."
Buncombe interim health director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore speaks in a county coronavirus update June 4, 2020.(Photo: Buncombe County)
She said Buncombe has resources for individuals who can't isolate or quarantine at their own residence and urged the community to "remember that in our day-to-day, every contact counts."
More: Former Sheriff Bobby Medford dies of COVID-19 in federal custody
Mullendore reiterated the importance of following "the three Ws":
More: Coronavirus: Buncombe to require face coverings in Phase 2 for certain public settings
She saidits also important to continue staying home when sick and limiting interaction with people outside of your household.
These measures are "not all or nothing," she added. Individuals should just strive to do them as much as possible.
Supporters listen to speeches by local government and clergy leaders before marching peacefully from Church Street to Pack Square Park on June 4, 2020. The march was organized in response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis which led to four nights of protest in Asheville. (Photo: ANGELI WRIGHT/ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES)
More: Coronavirus: Buncombe's Phase 2 slightly more restrictive than NC's, details of mask mandate
Finally, she asked that employers communicate to their workforce that COVID-19 is serious and ask their staff not to come in when sick.
Mullendore said this is "an extremely difficult time for many," adding that itmay place a "particular burden on individuals of color in our community."
"Tending to the emotional and mental health needs of your community and yourself are and important part of public health, especially now," she said."Witnessing this trauma repeatedly affects mental health, especially for communities of color.
"Please check up on your friends, family and community as well as checking in with yourself."
Mackenzie Wicker covers Buncombe County for the Asheville Citizen Times. You can reach her at mwicker@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @MackWick.
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Iran is reluctantly confronting the possibility of a renewed political crisis as well as a health one after the latest figures showed the number of new coronavirus infections at a record high.
The government appeared to have brought the virus under control a month ago, but a second wave of the virus has steadily been gathering pace. According to data released by the health ministry on Thursday there were 3,574 confirmed new infections in 24 hours an increase of 440 on the previous day.
The previous daily record in Iran was 3,186 on 30 March. The country was one of the first in the Middle East to be gripped by the disease.
In spite of a steadily rising infection rate, authorities have been progressively lifting controls on shops, mosques, schools, offices and travel. The border with Turkey was also being opened for haulage traffic on Thursday.
In recent days government spokesmen have been increasingly critical of the public, accusing them of ignoring the continued restrictions, especially in workplaces.
Hassan Rouhani, the countrys president, said: If the rules are not obeyed the government would be forced to restore the quarantine situation again, disrupting normal life and inflicting serious damage on the entire national economy.
There was little immediate domestic coverage of the record infection figure.
The chief solace for the health ministry was that the number of daily deaths has not risen at the same rate as new infections, giving some credence to the argument that the increased level of infections is partly a result of more widespread testing and better recording. The number of deaths recorded in the previous 24 hours was 59, taking the death toll to 8,071. The highest number of daily deaths was 158 on 4 April.
Officials now face a dilemma over whether to reimpose controls, a move that will be unpopular and damage the sanction-weakened economy, or hope that the second wave will somehow peter out. Only 10 days ago the number of new infections was below 2,000, and the rapid rise in the last five days cannot be explained solely by widespread testing.
The virus was reported as being worst in the provinces of Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Kurdistan and Kermanshah. All people in those regions were advised to wear face masks in public.
Anecdotal evidence from Hormozgansuggested women were contracting the disease while shopping.Nearly 25% of those with the disease were classified as housewives.
In a sign of the competing pressures facing the government, the Iranian parliament research centre produced figures to show per capita income in the country had fallen by 34% over the last three years, partly because of inflation. Nearly 60% of employees were not covered by social insurance.
In other coronavirus developments around the world:
Spainwants to welcome back British tourists from 1 July, but said that would depend on theUKs 14-day quarantineplan for arrivals, including returning UK citizens, and on the British authorities rescindingadvice on non-essential foreign travel.
France said it would cancel its traditional 14 July Bastille Day military parade and replace it with a ceremony to pay tribute to care workers.
Russias relatively low official death toll was further brought into question after St Petersburg issued 32% more death certificates in May than in the same month last year.
The number of confirmed cases in Afghanistan passed 18,000, with more than 300 deaths,amid a continued surge of transmissions in Kabul.
Pakistanreported a record single-day high in coronavirus deaths (82) and new cases (4,688), saying it was due to increased testing.
The World Health Organizations director forAfricasaid the continents 162,622 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,604 deaths was broadly accurate, but the African Unionhealth agency said the continent needs to triple its testing.
A further 1.9 million people filed for unemployment benefits in the US last week, bringing the total number of claims to more than 42m since the pandemic hit.
In Japan, Tokyos governor said it may be necessary to stage a simplified Olympics next year owing to the impact of the pandemic.
China said foreign airlines blocked from operating in the country could resume limited flights, a day after Washington suspended all Chinese travel into and out of the US.
InLatin America, Mexico announced more than 1,000 deaths in a day for the first time and Brazil, the regions worst-hit country, reported a record 1,349.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Friday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.
It wasn't ready to accompany last week's launch of the NHS test and trace system in England - but business minister Nadhim Zahawi says the NHS contact-tracing app should be in place by the end of June. NHS bosses have said a system to track people who have come into close contact with those with the virus is important to avoid a second surge in cases. Different methods are being used in each of the home nations, as our report explains.
Face coverings should be compulsory in all places where social distancing is not possible - not just on public transport - says the doctors' union. The comments from the British Medical Association come after the government said passengers in England must wear a face covering from 15 June. They are recommended in Scotland and Northern Ireland in places where social distancing is more difficult, while the Welsh government says it is a personal choice.
While the government is allowing dentists in England to resume work from Monday, the British Dental Association is warning patients to expect only a "skeleton service" after a poll suggested just 36% would reopen. Some dentists say they were not given enough warning, while others lack the necessary protective kit.
The pandemic has not affected all communities equally, with wealth appearing to be a major factor. Stephanie Hegarty explores why poorer people are more likely to catch - and die from - Covid-19.
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British drug maker AstraZeneca says new deals will enable it to supply two billion doses of a virus vaccine, should the product being developed with Oxford University scientists prove effective. AstraZeneca has agreed to supply half of the doses to low and middle-income countries.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio The Cuyahoga County ZIP codes with the most coronavirus infections remain the eastern suburbs and portions of the city of Cleveland, according to data released Friday by the Board of Health.
Only one ZIP code in the western suburbs now remains among the areas hardest hit by the virus: the area around Middleburg Heights and Parma Heights.
Clevelands hardest-hit ZIP codes designated as those with 158 to 241 cases since the local outbreak began, are still neighborhoods in the center of the city and on its far western and eastern edges. As during the past several weeks, most-affected eastern suburbs still include the ZIP codes containing Beachwood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and Warrensville Heights, among others.
As of Friday, 3,428 suburban county residents had been infected and 215 had died, the board reported. Thats an increase of 365 cases and 29 deaths since last week, when the board had reported its highest spike in weekly coronavirus cases (484) since COVID-19 hit Northeast Ohio.
New infections this week are slightly higher than they were in late March and early April. About 1,250 people have recovered.
Health Commissioner Terry Allan on Friday said he expects to see upsurges and downsurges over the course of the summer, ahead of what could be a long flu season, beginning in fall.
Allan attributed some of fluctuations in case counts to several possible factors: restaurants and businesses reopening, large protests over the weekend in which some demonstrators were not maintaining social-distance or wearing masks, more testing (leading to higher confirmed case counts), and people venturing out more during the warmer months.
Allan and other health officials drew attention to the disproportionate effect on communities of color. About 41% of suburban cases are black residents; 44.5% of cases are white residents. Of those who have required intensive-care treatment, 49% are black and 43% are white.
But officials also took the opportunity to address systemic racism and the weekends protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in the hands of Minneapolis police.
Said Deputy Director of Prevention and Wellness Ramona Brazile: To learn through reports that Mr. Floyd had survived COVID-19, but not the cruel hands of racism is too much.
Said Allan: Were experiencing in real time the collision of an international pandemic and the brutal killing of George Floyd, yet another heartbreaking demonstration of the plague of racism that still infects every fabric of our society.
The countys $5 million testing effort aimed at congregate living spaces, which often house vulnerable, largely minority populations, is underway. Some 1,600 tests have been conducted since May 8, officials said.
Some of those tests are among the roughly 15,000 administered by MetroHealth, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals this week. Thats an increase of 2,000 tests over last week, but about the same number of tests administered the week before that. This week, about 5% of people tested at the hospitals tested positive.
The availability of critical-care beds at county hospitals increased by two percentage points this week, to a 72% occupancy rate. Ventilator usage increased by one percentage point to 32%, and normal hospital bed usage increased by three percentage points to a 76% occupancy rate.
Weekly Health Quiz: Coronavirus, Hugs and Global Spread The New York Times
FILE PHOTO: The Ford logo is seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) is re-evaluating how much office space it needs for white-collar workers as restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic are eased and employees return to workplaces.
In March, Ford, General Motors Co (GM.N) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) (FCHA.MI)(FCAU.N) told salaried employees to work from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Ford brought back 12,000 salaried employees last month, and others have been told they can work from home until September, spokeswoman Marisa Bradley said. Given potential workplace changes caused by the outbreak, a facility consolidation the No. 2 U.S. automaker had already launched could accelerate.
If we know we are going to have a smaller population thats going to come back to work, we could look at maybe shrinking our footprint, Bradley said.
U.S. companies are wrestling with who can work from home and how much office space is necessary.
Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley said recently many salaried employees can work from home, and the Dearborn, Michigan-based company could eliminate offices. The shutdown is really an opportunity to redesign how we do work, he said.
FCA has one of the largest offices spaces in the country with its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. A small number of employees who work in testing facilities have returned to work there, and more salaried workers will return slowly over the coming months, a spokeswoman said.
A GM spokesman said the No. 1 U.S. automaker is not looking at consolidating office space, but is bringing salaried workers back in phases, focusing first on those who need to be in the office to do their job.
Hourly workers in the automakers U.S. plants largely returned to work May 18 after a two-month lockdown, using greater safety measures such as screening workers for fevers and providing face masks.
Reporting by Ben Klayman, Nick Carey and Joseph White; Editing by David Gregorio
