CREVE COEUR, Mo. — Bayer is temporarily closing its Creve Coeur campus due to the "possible exposure" of an employee to coronavirus. The company notified employees Sunday evening.
In addition to the main campus, Bayer is also closing the campus of its subsidiary, The Climate Corporation, which is located in Creve Coeur.
The company is also closing its sites in Whippany and Morristown, New Jersey.
The multi-national company first notified workers about the possible exposure Sunday night and confirmed the news in a statement Monday afternoon.
Bayer is temporarily closing the campus so it can begin deep cleaning the facility. The company says it's taking these steps out of an abundance of caution.
The employee in Creve Coeur is providing the names of the people she came in contact with and the locations she visited at the facility.
A Bayer spokesperson sent the following statement:
"We take the risk of the coronavirus seriously and are taking all necessary measures to keep our employees and neighbors safe. The primary goal is to ensure the health and safety of our employees, but at the same time to act with reason and judgment.
"In light of this, Bayer is currently working in close coordination with the Missouri Department of Health after learning on Sunday of an employee at the Creve Coeur site who is considered a person under investigation for coronavirus infection. To be clear, the employee has not been confirmed with coronavirus.
"Working closely with health officials, Bayer is temporarily closing the Bayer campus in Creve Coeur, Missouri, until further notice to implement additional cleaning measures in common areas, and, as a proactive measure out of an abundance of caution."
The employee is cooperating with health officials and has named the people she came in contact with and the locations she visited at the Creve Coeur facility.
As of now, Missouri's only positive case of COVID-19 is in St. Louis County.
A 20-year-old St. Louis County woman who recently traveled to Italy is the state’s first “presumptive positive” case of coronavirus, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Saturday night.
Villa Duchesne announced that the school would be closed all week after the sister of the woman who tested positive attended classes Thursday and Friday.
At this time, health officials throughout Missouri are monitoring people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus or traveled to places that put them at risk of exposure.
