The Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport will remain operational despite an Alameda County shelter-in-place order, the company said in its release.
The Port’s announcement followed shelter-in-place orders issued by six Bay Area counties. The orders are intended to slow the spread of coronavirus. Under the restrictions, only essential businesses are permitted to remain open. Other employers must send workers home until the order is lifted.
The Port of Oakland is one of the 10 busiest container seaports in the U.S. It handles more than 2.5 million cargo containers annually, transacting more than $100 billion in global trade.
The Port’s Oakland International Airport is the third-busiest airport in Northern California. Close to 14 million passengers a year fly in and out of Oakland.
The Port said marine terminals would continue to load and unload cargo from ships. The Airport would go on with its daily schedule of departing flights, the Port said.
The Port said it would adopt a resilience plan to staff its operations while minimizing employee exposure to coronavirus. The Port said it has received no reports of employees, customers or business partners testing positive for coronavirus.
According to the Port, airlines, shipping lines and marine terminal operators have said they’ll continue operations in Oakland. The Port was meeting with longshore union officials to determine what staffing levels could be expected on the docks.
The Port said it would continue with an accelerated sanitization regimen at Oakland International Airport to protect travelers. It said it was conferring with marine terminal operators on how best to sanitize seaport operations. The Port said it would introduce social distancing protocols at its facilities to curb the coronavirus spread.
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and nearly 20 miles of waterfront including Jack London Square. The Port's 5-year strategic plan - Growth with Care - pairs business expansion with community benefits, envisioning more jobs and economic stimulus as the Port grows. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 84,000 jobs in Northern California.