March 16, 2020 – At CSX, our top priority is the safety of our employees, their families and the communities in which we operate. The company is closely monitoring the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 disease and has taken preventative measures to safeguard our people and operations. The company has issued a Coronavirus Prevention and Response Policy for all CSX employees, contractors, suppliers and visitors that we continue to monitor and revise as events warrant. The policy is aimed at ensuring our rail system continues to perform at a high level and is ready to meet the needs of our customers as the coronavirus situation unfolds.
As part of the policy, we have restricted business travel for employees not directly associated with train operations and limited visitor access to our facilities so that our employees and business-critical staff can continue to do their jobs without the risk of potential exposure to the virus. We are encouraging all employees to follow personal safeguards, based on recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. We are also increasing cleaning regimens and distributing additional cleaning and disinfecting products across our system.
CSX also has robust business continuity plans to minimize any potential operational impact. Our continuity plans include backup facilities where business-critical functions are able to quickly transition and continue seamless train operations. We have also implemented remote work arrangements for employees whose job functions permit and are modifying work areas to create appropriate social distancing where needed.
We are actively following the situation and will continue to provide updates to our employees, customers and partners.
CSX plays a critical role in supporting the U.S. economy during this time of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, efficient and reliable rail service is essential to keeping supply chains fluid as the nation responds to this challenge. We remain committed to safely moving our customers’ freight and working with them on any supply chain adjustments needed during this time. This is a developing situation and CSX will continue to adapt our business operations to ensure our employees, families and customers are safe, and to provide our usual high level of service for your railroad needs.