Yes, AK Steel is considered an essential business during coronavirus pandemic

The AK Steel Middletown Works plant is open and considered an essential business during the current COVID-19 pandemic, which officials clarified after the city’s emergency dispatch center received numerous calls this week about there still being activity at the site.

“They are an essential (business), but people keep calling about it,” said Middletown police Chief David Birk.

Middletown Spokeswoman Shelby Quinlivan said the health department has received calls regarding multiple companies inquiring if they fall under the essential businesses category set by the state. AK Steel is considered an essential business.

In a statement released Sunday, Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., which acquired AK Steel earlier this year, said, “I am pleased that this order recognizes the iron and steel industry as an essential business critical to the United States’ economy and national security. Our business is vital to our country’s economic stability, and the order ensures business continuity for Cleveland-Cliffs’ steel mills, our critical suppliers, and customers during this public health crisis.”

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