United Grain reopens after 3-day COVID-19 shutdown

Vancouver-based United Grain Corporation announced Tuesday that it has received clearance from Clark County Public Health and resumed operations following a three-day shutdown due to COVID-19.

United Grain operates an export terminal at the Port of Vancouver, using a grain elevator to transfer corn, soybeans and multiple blends of wheat from rail cars and barges to cargo ships bound for international destinations.

In a Monday announcement, the company said it had learned on June 25 that one of its employees at the port facility had tested positive for COVID-19. The company began testing other employees the next day and halted operations after a second employee tested positive.

United Grain continued to test employees over the weekend and on Monday. There were no further positive cases as of Tuesday morning, the company said, although the majority of the results were still pending at the time.

“Everyone who has tested positive will remain in isolation until they are no longer contagious, and their close contacts will be in quarantine for 14 days,” Clark County Public Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick said in a statement. “These cases and close contacts cannot return to work until they are cleared by Clark County Public Health.”