LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- UPS on Monday acknowledged the death of an employee at its Worldport global shipping hub, though the company declined to confirm many workers' suspicions that the man was infected with the novel coronavirus.
The employee was a supervisor at the company's hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and died Saturday, according to multiple co-workers. An extended family member, who insisted on anonymity, told WDRB that the supervisor was diagnosed with COVID-19 after developing breathing problems and being hospitalized late last month.
"UPS is very saddened by the passing of (the employee)," UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said in a video message released to WDRB on Monday. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends."
While UPS named the employee, WDRB has removed his name from an initial version of this story at the request of the man's family.
In contrast with some other large employers in Louisville, UPS is not confirming whether any of its employees have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including the man who died.
The company cites "medical privacy laws," though others such as GE Appliances, Amazon and Ford Motor Co. have told employees of COVID-19 cases at their plants and warehouses without disclosing any individual's identity.
The Atlanta-based company has about 20,000 employees in the Louisville area, including thousands who are based at the air package hub.
Mayer said the company has "taken strong steps" to protect its employees. Starting Monday night, they will be provided face masks, in keeping with recent CDC guidance that people wear masks in public places, he said.
Mayer said UPS has also added shuttle buses to reduce crowding among Worldport employees getting rides to and from the hub to their cars.
The company has also stepped up cleaning of those buses and areas inside Worldport, he said.
A longtime hourly employee, who worked in the same wing as the supervisor who died, said Monday that while bathrooms and break rooms are cleaned more frequently, many employees are anxious about UPS' refusal to provide official information on coronavirus cases.
That anxiety increases with news of the man's death, said the hourly employee, who did not want to risk losing her job by being identified.
"Some of us have underlying health issues and it’s scary," she said.
UPS, which moves thousands of packages per day through the Louisville hub, has been deemed an essential business that is allowed to keep operating through the pandemic.
