SETBACK

Boeing Indefinitely Extends Factory Shutdown Amid Coronavirus Crisis

The company said it will only pay its employees until Wednesday and that they will have to use their vacation days or sick leave to get paid time off.

Boeing, embattled by its ongoing 737 Max airplane crisis, is facing yet another setback prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced on Sunday that it will have to extend its shutdown of local factory operations in Washington state “until further notice” and it will only pay its employees through Wednesday. Workers will have to use either their vacation days or sick leave to get paid time off, the Seattle Times reported. Boeing said the decision came from its “continuing focus on the health and safety of its employees, current assessment of the spread of COVID-19 in the state, the reliability of the supply chain, and additional recommendations from government health authorities.” At least 133 Boeing employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.