Virus fears dip in swing states, Americans head back to Wendy’s

Ford Motor is beginning to deliver powered air-purifying respirators to frontline health care workers, the automaker said Wednesday. Since late March, Ford has been working with 3M to create the personal protection equipment, using design guidance from 3M.

Approximately 90 paid volunteers from the United Auto Workers union have assembled more than 10,000 of the respirators at a Ford facility near Flat Rock, Michigan, according to the automaker. Ford said the facility has the ability to make 100,000 or more respirators, however the company has declined to provide a timeframe for such production.

3M is selling and distributing the Ford-designed respirators through 3M-authorized distributors. Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle is the first customer to order and take delivery of the Ford-built supplies, the automaker said. —Michael Wayland

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