DETROIT – DTE Energy announced Thursday that three of its employees and two of its vendors have reported three positive cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
None of the employees’ or contractors’ jobs involved contact with customers, DTE said.
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“The entire DTE family is keeping everyone impacted by this virus in our thoughts and prayers. We are supporting our impacted coworkers and their families through this difficult time to make sure they are well-taken care of,” reads a statement from Jerry Norcia, president and CEO, DTE Energy. “My leadership team is working around the clock on our response to the pandemic, and we continue to put the health and safety of our customers and employees first throughout this crisis.”
DTE said it is taking the followings actions to keep employees and customers safe:
- In all cases where an employee tested positive, their work locations have been isolated and are being sanitized – using procedures in line with CDC guidelines. In one location, the office has been temporarily closed for a deep cleaning. This will not have an impact on DTE’s customers.
- DTE Medical Services staff notified people who worked with or near the ill employees, and they are being self-quarantined for 14 days to avoid spread of the virus.
- DTE has implemented proactive measures to protect employees working in critical operations such as control rooms.
- DTE is scaling back non-critical work to focus efforts on keeping the electric and gas companies operating safely and reliably. The companies will continue to respond to customers should they have any issues with their energy delivery.
- Tree trimming, as well as outdoor work on the electrical grid and natural gas infrastructure is continuing as scheduled, since people are outside and can practice social distancing while performing their work safely.
- All of our facilities are closed to visitors and non-essential personnel.
- Since Sunday, all employees in roles that can be performed from home without compromising service to customers or each other are working remotely.
More: Tracking newest confirmed COVID-19 cases in Metro Detroit