Effective today there will be new gate hours for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The changes, approved on March 22, 2020 by industry marine terminal operators will allow for thorough equipment cleaning protocols and procedures during the COVID-19 health crisis in an effort to protect worker health.
The second labor shift will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 4 a.m. Pacific Time to allow for cleaning and spraying of equipment. The first shift will remain with a start time of 8:00 a.m. Pacific time.
“Despite COVID-19 disruption across many industries, California ports are fully operational and open for business, and we do not anticipate that the slight modification to operating hours to disinfect equipment will impact cargo availability,” said Michele Grubbs, vice president, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. “We fully support this temporary modification of hours to ensure that all port workers are protected from any potential risk of viral spread.”
Under the new protocols, marine terminal operators will clean cargo handling equipment per Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.
