Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford assembly plants have mostly had some sort of face mask policy in place. Back in June of 2021 as cases were dropping, the UAW and Ford ended mask mandates for vaccinated workers, but that didn’t last long, as roughly one month later, the mandates for some Ford assembly plants were reinstituted as the Delta variant caused cases to surge, and shortly after that, all other facilities followed suit. In January, changing guidance from the CDC prompted Ford to allow its workers to wear N95 or KN95 masks, but now, as cases are once again falling, Ford and the UAW have nixed those mandatory mask policies altogether.
UAW workers at all big three Detroit automakers are no longer required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, though they can still wear one if they’d like – if those facilities are not in high-risk counties as identified by the CDC. These changes won’t take effect immediately, but rather, each automaker will decide when each plant updates its rules. Meanwhile, facilities identified by the CDC as being located in high-risk areas will continue to require masks and social distancing.
The UAW’s COVID-19 Task Force notes that it took CDC guidelines and medical expert reports into account when making this decision, and still encourages those that are immunocompromised or at high risk for a severe disease to continue to wear a mask while urging anyone who is symptomatic to stay home. The union also continues to recommend that workers get vaccinated, though they won’t be required to do so, as Ford Authority reported back in November.
That doesn’t apply to salaried Ford workers, however, who are required to get vaccinated, submit a valid religious or health exemption, or face 30 days of unpaid leave, as Ford Authority reported last month.
We’ll have more on Ford’s mask and vaccine policies soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford-related COVID-19 news and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
