July 23, 2021—General Motor's assembly plant near St. Louis, Mo., is once again requiring its almost 4,000 workers to wear face masks and to social distance due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Workers at the Wentzville Assembly Plant were informed Monday, July 19, of the new mandate, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though temperature screenings at the entrances would remain suspended.
The Wentzville plant builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups, as well as full-size vans. A GM spokesman confirmed the reinstatement of the mask mandate to the Post-Dispatch.
“After reviewing the COVID-19 case rates surrounding our Wentzville Assembly Plant, General Motors will reinstate the 100% mask requirement at this plant to provide an added layer of protection for employees,” GM spokesman David Barnas said in a statement. “The health and safety of our team members will continue to dictate our COVID-19 protocols.”
Missouri has been the site of the nation's most recent COVID outbreak, primarily driven by the delta variant. Barnas said the GM medical team will continue to monitor plant COVID-19 cases.