OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. factories have been cranking out goods at a rate that is remarkably close to normal, despite the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.
Yet with cases rising in many states, people who run factories are wondering if production can keep up until most of the country gets vaccinated.
For the most part, safeguards put in place after the initial wave of the virus appear to have prevented the kinds of large outbreaks that sickened hundreds of workers and forced automakers, meat processors and other businesses to halt production last spring.
But industry and union officials say workers live in communities where the virus is surging, making it difficult to stop infections inside the factories.