Ranger Boats in Flippin has shut down most of its factory until Tuesday due to a large number of employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Employees that work at the manufacturer told KTLO News Thursday afternoon that the closure affects the bass boat production lines, but some of the factory’s other departments will remain in operation.
Ranger Boats, which is owned by Bass Pro Shops through the White River Marine Group, employs more than 600 workers at its Flippin factory. Citing medical privacy issues, Bass Pro Shop representatives declined to say exactly how many of Ranger Boats’ workers were out with COVID-19 at the moment.
COVID-19 has swept through southwest Missouri and north central Arkansas over the past few weeks, with some counties seeing their reported number of active COVID cases double in as little as seven days.
The Arkansas Department of Health reports that as of Thursday afternoon Marion County had 67 active COVID cases. Baxter County had 190 active cases, and Boone County had 140 cases. Searcy County, which borders Marion County to the south, had 32 cases as of Thursday afternoon.
State health officials have said that the current in spike in COVID cases is likely due to the large number of residents that remain unvaccinated.
Statewide, 42% of the population ages 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, with another 10% of the population partially immunized. Vaccination numbers for Marion County and its adjacent counties remains well below that mark.
In Marion County, 25% of residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, with another 4% partially immunized. In Baxter County, 32% of residents are fully vaccinated, and another 5% are partially immunized. In Boone County, 28% of residents are fully vaccinated, with another 6% being partially immunized. In Searcy County, 29% of the population is fully vaccinated, with another 3% being partially immunized.
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