NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Four employees have now tested positive for COVID-19 at Hampton Roads' largest private employer, Newport News Shipbuilding.
The shipyard has re-doubled its efforts to clean and disinfect workspaces. Leaders want to keep the yard's 24,000 workers as safe as possible.
And at the same time, as the world's only maker of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, they're trying to keep the shipyard running.
President Jennifer Boykin talked about the challenges, in a video posted on her Facebook page.
"The bottom line really is, if we're not working and producing shipbuilding product, just like any other business, we can't build the Navy, we can't get paid," she said. "And if we can't get paid, we can't pay the workforce. So, keeping the business up and viable is one of the most important things we can do for the safety of our workforce in terms of the security for their families."
Boykin released a few details about the latest case on Friday. She said the individual is Navy personnel who works in Building 4931-2/MOF Facility (Bay 1), Mid-Yard.
Other than for the Christmas holidays, the last time the shipyard closed was back in 2003 for Hurricane Isabel.