One of Cairo’s largest employers temporarily closes plant for cleaning

When two of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, Koyo Bearings closed down its Cairo plant for thorough cleaning.

The manufacturing firm will remain closed at least through Monday, April 13, according to a source familiar with the company’s plans.

The Messenger contacted Plant Manager Scott Cline for comment Tuesday, but he said he would issue an official statement shortly.

The company’s press release had not been provided as the newspaper went to press Wednesday.

The plant had already been operating with just a single shift since the week of March 30, says a source. That same week, they began checking temperatures of employees as they arrived for work as a safety precaution.

The company manufactures bearings, mainly for automotive customers, but the Coronavirus threat has caused that market to bottom out, sources say, and a majority of Koyo’s workers have been laid off.

When the plant is at full production, more than 350 people work at Koyo in Cairo.

The company continues to have customers that are deemed critical by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, sources say, and that manufacturing is expected to resume.

A source close to the company said that once the pandemic threat subsides and the economy recovers, officials anticipate the plant ramping back up and bringing back temporarily furloughed workers.