Henkel’s Bowling Green plant to reopen Friday after state-mandated closure

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- After being ordered to shut down operations at its Bowling Green plant, Henkel announced Thursday that it would reopen on Friday.

Earlier this week, the Kentucky Labor Cabinet ordered the plant to cease operations because the CDC’s social distancing guideline were not properly implemented.

WNKY can confirm that at least four Henkel employees have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

A Henkel spokeswoman sent WNKY the following statement announcing the reopening:

On April 14, we were directed by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet to take a temporary shutdown at our Bowling Green Laundry and Home Care facility to put in place additional social distancing measures.

While we had already taken significant measures to safeguard our employees prior to the inspection, we have cooperated fully with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and satisfied their requirements for a restart of production.  We acknowledge the support of the Labor Cabinet and are pleased that a safe start-up of operations is currently underway so we can resume production on Friday, April 17 of the laundry detergent products that are so essential to society to help consumers maintain home hygiene during this crisis.

We’re extremely grateful for the contributions of our employees. Our top priority is the safety of our team members and their families and to help lower the probability of viral spread in the community.