A worker at Boeing’s Everett factory has died of coronavirus, according to The Seattle Times.
The unnamed man’s job was to oversee unfinished work on the 787 Dreamliner that travelled out of the factory to the flight line. He was also a shop steward in the International Association of Machinists.
According to Reuters, as of Saturday, there were 29 Boeing employees who had confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The newspaper has yet to reveal the person’s name, but the planemaker appeared to confirm the death, saying it was “taking the right steps to confirm the information while respecting the individual’s and the family’s privacy”.
The Seattle Times clarified the information by speaking to co-workers, union officials as well as viewing a Facebook post from the man’s brother.
His brother wrote before the death, “Boeing Everett plant, please close your doors and shut down. My brother is on life support. Please pray for him and all affected by the virus.”
In the next post, he confirmed the man had died.
Of Boeing employees who had contracted the virus, 24 were in the Puget Sound area and five out of the state.
The Seattle Times had earlier reported that one employee on the 777 assembly line described how an ambulance arrived wearing protective gear to take away a sick worker.
He said a “janitorial crew” came around and wiped down the area around where the sick employee had worked but “didn’t touch the inside of the plane where everyone is working”. He added the area was “a perfect petri dish for the virus to spread”.
