Gurnee Abbott Plant Closes As Demand For COVID Tests Drops

GURNEE, IL — The opening of Abbott Laboratories' rapid COVID-19 test manufacturing and assembly facility in Gurnee last September came at a time when unemployment was soaring. The opening brought hundreds of much-needed jobs, which paid between $15 and $18 per hour, to the area.

Now, a steep decrease in demand for the tests has led to the decision to close the 255,000-square-foot building at 605 Tri-State Parkway. On June 2, all employees currently working at the plant learned their assignment had ended, the Daily Herald reports.

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"We've recently seen a significant, rapid decline in COVID-19 testing demand and anticipate this trend will continue," Abbott spokesman Scott Stoffel said Wednesday. "We're decommissioning the site now."

During its eight-month stint, millions of Abbott's BinaxNow tests were made at the facility. Officials lauded the addition as coming at a crucial time for area workers.

"I'm super grateful for the thousands of jobs at the height of the pandemic when the county really needed them," Kevin Considine, president and CEO of Lake County partners, told the Daily Herald. "They were a godsend."

Work started in May to convert the Gurnee building, and Abbott announced in August the company would hire hundreds of workers to quickly produce the new tests after they received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The temporary positions did "not require technical experience and can be trained on the job," officials said at the time.

• Abbott To Hire 2,000 In Gurnee To Make COVID-19 Rapid Test

The Gurnee facility was one of two in the United States manufacturing the tests.

"Abbott is committed to developing important tools to help fight COVID-19," said Abbot divisional vice president for talent and acquisition Vildan Kehr. "These jobs will not only make that possible, but also help Americans feel a little more confident about their health and lives."