The New Balance factories in Norridgewock, above, and Skowhegan that were closed Friday after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 have reopened. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file Buy this Photo
The New Balance shoe factories in Skowhegan and Norridgewock have reopened this week after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The positive test result is the company’s first confirmed case in Maine. The company closed and cleaned the facilities after learning about the case.
The closure was the second this summer. In June, the factories closed for a day while an employee awaited test results which ultimately came back negative for COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus.
“As soon as we were notified that an associate in our Norridgewock factory tested positive for COVID-19, our first confirmed case in Maine, we followed our comprehensive safety procedures and closed our Norridgewock and Skowhegan facilities on Friday, Aug. 14, for additional cleaning as a precautionary measure and they have reopened this week,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with our colleague for a swift recovery.”
The company spokesperson did not indicate whether other employees were tested.
New Balance is a Boston-based manufacturer of athletic footwear with factories in Maine that employ about 900 people at three sites.
In April, the company said some employees had to be furloughed amid the pandemic, but factories in Maine and Massachusetts had begun producing personal protective equipment, making as many as 100,000 masks per week.
“New Balance’s top priority is to maintain the health and safety of our associates, customers, and communities,” the company said in a statement.
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