Covid-19 Hurts Blue Springs Economy

Union County- Covid-19 has drastically affected Blue Springs businesses. Blue Springs Grocery and Grill, a local gas station, relies heavily on traffic from the Toyota factory and East Union Attendance Center. “I’ve lost 80% of my business since the factory and school closed,” said manager Joe Irar. “It doesn’t make sense for me to be open all day, but I don’t want to change hours and people think we [have] closed down.”

The store serves a plate lunch menu, which brings in a large number of customers daily. However, it has been nearly empty since Toyota closed.

Blue Springs Grocery and Grill remains open under regular hours to serve the people of Blue Springs

Rainbow Learning Center has temporarily closed. With schools closed and parents out of work, some children were taken out of the daycare altogether. The decision to close was due to a mix of financial concerns and the fact that employees did not feel safe.

Blue Springs’ economy has become dependent on the Toyota factory, and business owners are hopeful that customers will return after the factory re-opens.

Kathryn Ragsdale, Toyota Motor North America manager, told NEMiss.news Toyota has extended the length of closures to April 17. The closure includes all U.S., Canada, and Mexico facilities. Currently, plans to resume production on April 20. Meanwhile, Service parts and finished vehicle logistics are currently still operating.