Another major employer in Waterloo is temporarily suspending operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 800 workers at Omega Cabinetry were told this morning that they were being furloughed. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said production is being halted at the Waterloo facility until at least May 4. According to the spokesperson, there has been one confirmed case of COVID-19 within the workforce at Omega.
The spokesperson said the temporary shutdown is an important step, not only for the company’s local employees, but for the public health of the Waterloo community. Word of Omega’s suspended operations comes one day after Tyson Foods announced it was indefinitely halting production its Waterloo pork processing plant – Tyson’s largest — due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases there.
The Tyson plant in Waterloo employs around 2,800 workers.
(By Elwin Huffman, KOEL, Waterloo)