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DETROIT — Blue Cross Blue Shield is temporarily closing 10 walk-in centers and expanding remote work for its employees in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Employees who are able are required to work remotely two or three days per week to lower the daily number of employees at Blue Cross offices.
Walk-in centers in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Holland, Lansing, Marquette, Portage, Southfield and Traverse City will be closed from March 16-31.
The company is also suspending all but the most essential air travel through April 30.
People who come to company facilities will be required to complete a questionnaire about their recent travel activity before entering.
“We are taking steps to lessen the potential impact of the virus spreading within our workforce, but we also have an obligation to continue critical operations,” president and CEO Daniel Loepp said in a release. “There are telephone customer service and claims processing functions that our members depend upon and that require our employees to report to our facilities. These operations will continue, but we will significantly enhance our cleaning and sanitizing efforts around our employees’ workspaces.”