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GE Aviation is temporarily closing its facilities in Rutland after a worker at one of the plants tested positive for COVID-19.
The company has been reaching out to employees Sunday to inform them not to report to work until Wednesday morning, to allow 48 hours for the sites to be cleaned and disinfected. The closure of the facilities was beginning Sunday.
“We are partnering with public health officials on contact tracing and notification of impacted people at our site,” the company said in a statement late Sunday afternoon. “We continue to take all necessary precautions and prioritize safety.”
GE employs 1,400 people in the Rutland region. The company manufacturers commercial and military engine blades and vanes.
The company said due to privacy considerations it cannot identify the employee or talk about that employee’s condition, however, the statement did say that employee has not been at work since March 18.
“We are contacting employees who had close contact with this co-worker and asking them to self-quarantine,” the statement read. “This action is being taken in conjunction with public health officials and is consistent with CDC guidance.”
The news about the temporary closure of the GE facilities in Rutland comes as the Vermont Department of Health reported Sunday afternoon three new identified cases of the coronavirus, increasing the statewide total of positive cases to 52.
Specific details on the new positive tests in Vermont were not immediately available Sunday.
The three latest additional cases follow on the heels of 20 new identified cases of COVID-19 reported by the health department Saturday afternoon.
The number of deaths of patients with COVID-19 in Vermont remains at two, both reported late last week.
On Saturday, the Department of Health reported that 978 tests had been conducted statewide. On Sunday, the reported number of tests conducted had risen by 180, to 1,158.
