Duggan: Detroit-area employers hiring for 1,100 jobs in essential industries
(FOX 2) - The city has launched a Ready to Hire program to help people find employment as soon as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said more than 30 employers are ready to hire for more than 1,100 available positions right now.
According to Detroit at Work, Detroit-area employers are hiring in positions including healthcare assistants (CNAs, dialysis technicians), grocery clerks, food service assistants, environmental techs (janitorial / cleaning), mortgage processors and mortgage processing support staff, and more.
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Employers such as Henry Ford Health Systems, Ciena Healthcare, and Advantage Living Centers are hiring CNAs at wages up to $15.50 an hour. Alpha Helping Hands is seeking 50 janitorial workers for $15 an hour. Employers looking to hire Detroiters can also contact the city to get connected.
Find out more at detroitatwork.com or call (313) 962-WORK or go to http://www.degc.org/
DETROIT NUMBERS
Denise Fair, Chief Public Health Officer of the Detroit Health Department, said as of Wednesday, there 2,483 confirmed cases and 82 deaths -- 400 more positive cases and 9 more deaths from Tuesday.
“This virus has no geographic boundaries and COVID-19 has been and will continue to be an equal opportunity virus,” she said.
POLICE AND FIRE UPDATE
As of Wednesday, Duggan said 92 officers have tested positive and 525 are in quarantine, with 120 officers returning to work. A total of 17 firefighters have tested positive and 136 are in quarantine.
To curb the spread of the virus, the city began taking temperatures as employees arrived for duty. Duggan said on Wednesday, one officer was sent home with a temperature over 100 degrees and one firefighter was sent home.
Duggan also said the city is benefitting from a major reduction in crime and 911 calls due to the shelter-in-place order.
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INSTANT TESTING UPDATE
Duggan confirmed the instant COVID-19 tests arrived Wednesday. Detroit will be the first city to use the tests for police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and bus drivers. They should be up and running within the next 24 hours.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval on Friday for medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories to produce testing kits that can issue coronavirus results in as little as five minutes. The tests are sensitive enough to detect the virus before someone experiences symptoms - almost instantly after exposure.
Detroit received five testing machines and 5,000 testing samples, with plans to roll out 250 tests a day. The tests can give positive results in about five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. The tests are mobile and can be used outside the hospital -- they’re about the size of a toaster, according to Abbott Laboratories.
RELATED: Detroit approved for breakthrough, instant coronavirus test kits
MORE RELIEF FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
On Tuesday, a $3.1 million COVID-19 relief fund was announced for small businesses in Detroit through the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Small businesses that made less than a million dollars last year and have fewer than 50 employees can apply for these grants for between $2,500 and $10,0000.
Duggan said so far, 300 small businesses have applied. Now the city is partnering with County Executive Warren Evans to provide another $1.6 million.
RELATED: $3.1M coronavirus relief fund announced for Detroit small businesses
DETROIT COVID-19 COVERAGE
Mayor Duggan expressed concern regarding media coverage of Detroit’s COVID-19 cases -- that some are speculating the city is a hot spot because of poverty issues. “There is no evidence that the corona checks your bank account before it jumps to you,” he said.
Duggan said as a reminder, the number of high cases reported out of the city is a result of proficient methods of testing -- specifically the work at the State Fairgrounds.