LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Amid national and statewide shortages of personal protective equipment for health care workers, GE Appliances has ordered thousands of face masks for its workers who have been begging for a temporary shutdown of Appliance Park in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Photos circulating on social media show dozens of boxes labeled "face mask" clustered together at GE Appliance Park. One employee estimated that the shipment included 300,000 surgical masks.

Julie Wood, a spokeswoman for GE Appliances, said the photo shows an order of face masks, which the company has provided to medical teams across its nine plants.

"(They have been) shipped across the country to help protect employees and consumers who are interacting during in-home service or installation of our appliances, and for other employees engaged in work deemed essential by the US Department of Homeland Security as well as orders and guidelines issued by various states," Wood said.

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GE Appliances is donating a portion of every shipment of masks to health care providers in its plants' communities, Wood said. A donation of 2,500 N-95 masks was given to University of Louisville Hospital last Friday, according to information she provided.

When asked how many face masks were ordered and where they came from, GE Appliances spokeswoman Wendy Treinen referred The Courier Journal back to Wood's statement.

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Treinen would not comment on the grade of the face masks, only saying they are "regular face masks." She said the company is "working with healthcare systems in our plant communities to make additional donations and will share those commitments when we are ready to announce."

The more than 3,800 GE Appliance Park production workers began receiving these masks this week, and they get a new one every day, multiple employees have told The Courier Journal.

This news comes as hospitals across the country and in Kentucky are running short on personal protective equipment. Doctors have told The Courier Journal they are "burning through" their personal protective equipment inventory more rapidly than expected.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during a press briefing on March 23 that there is a "critical shortage" of personal protective equipment in Kentucky. The shortage is so severe across the nation that the commonwealth is forced to engage in bidding wars.

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"I'm pushing every single day to try to get to the point where we have more widespread testing," Beshear said. “I spend much of my day, every day, right now on this alone. Our limitations are a couple, but it mainly goes down to the personal protective equipment.”

When asked about GE Appliances' face masks during a Thursday press briefing, Beshear said that was his first time hearing about it and "that's something I definitely want more information on."

"A significant number of surgical masks are incredibly important to our front-line health care workers," Beshear said. "So I want to get more information before I say I'm concerned, but I'm certainly interested figuring out the facts behind it."

At a separate Thursday press briefing, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he appreciates that GE Appliances is donating some face masks to hospitals, and that it is "one of the best practices" for operating businesses to have masks.

"It's important that employees have an opportunity to have a mask and have a location where those can be isolated if they start feeling ill until they get moved from the premises in a safe way," Fischer said. "So thanks to GE for donating the masks and protecting their workers also."

Meanwhile, workers have been pleading with the company that Appliance Park should be temporarily shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Though production at Appliance Park was halted for a week for cleaning, upon returning to work on Monday, employees said the production area was still dirty and that many people were working within 6 feet of one another amid fears of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, GE Appliances announced that it had a "probable, but unconfirmed" coronavirus case and shut down one of its buildings for 48 hours. On Wednesday, GE Appliances union president Dean "Dino" Driskell, who is self-quarantining after exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, wrote to employees in a memo that he is considering taking a strike vote if the company does not respond to worker safety demands.

On Thursday, State Rep. Charles Booker, a Louisville Democrat who is running for U.S. Senate, said GE Appliances workers are "being forced to work in conditions that further expose them to COVID-19."

"They are literally having to consider a strike just so they can stay alive," Booker said in a tweet. "I know one damn thing. I’ll be right there on the line with them."

Another state representative, James Tipton, a Republican from Taylorsville, wrote to GE Appliances CEO Kevin Nolan encouraging him to close down GE Appliance Park until the end of the coronavirus global publish health crisis. State Rep. Kevin Bratcher, a Louisville Republican, did the same thing on Wednesday.

"I truly understand that the economic crisis we find ourselves in will last for a long time after the Covid-19 health crisis levels out," Tipton wrote. "I appreciate the financial stress that your company finds itself in at this time. However, I humbly ask that you consider ceasing operations at GE Appliance Park until this health crisis ends."

Related:GE union president says he may take a strike vote over how company has handled coronavirus

Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-582-4181 or follow on Twitter @TobinBen. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: subscribe.courier-journal.com.