PORTSMOUTH, Va (WAVY) — On any given day, 25,000 people — employees, contractors and Navy personnel — report for duty at the state’s largest industrial employer.
As the coronavirus count continues to rise, management has launched an all-hands effort that calls for the safe distancing of 6 feet and the use of masks when closer than six feet.
A machinist at the shipyard, who does not want to be identified, says 6-foot distancing is unrealistic when you consider actual distances when building machines of war.
He told WAVY News 10 he often works 2 to 3 feet away from coworkers on job sites.
He says the region needs to prepare for an illness that will affect shipyard workers, contractors, members of the military and families.
“The sickness could spread to their families and their children, their loved ones and whoever else that they are taking care of, so this is going to be catastrophic pretty soon,” said the machinist.
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 20 reported cases of COVID-19 at the shipyard.
Steelworkers Union President Charles Spivey hears similar concerns from all corners of the yard.
He believes construction deadlines should be set aside and the gates of the state’s largest industrial employer should be closed before it’s too late.
“They have shut down schools, they have shut down barbershops — churches, one that I’m a pastor of — and yet they expect the people here at Newport News Shipbuilding, management and salary, to deliver a vessel,” said Spivey.
The machinist is also concerned the virus will take a heavy toll on African Americans in the yard and their families.
“This is actually going to be catastrophic because you have a large percentage there that are older so if they have underlying health conditions and they’re African American they are going to die or get sick,” according to the contract employee.
Shipyard President Jennifer Boykin issued a statement to explain why officials believe the yard must remain open.
“We have been identified by the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy as a critical and mission-essential industry that supports national security. We are doing everything we can to balance the safety of our workforce with this important responsibility to remain open for our Nation.”