NASHVILLE — One of Berrien County’s largest employers is afloat again.

Chaparral Boats, closed for six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to reopen Wednesday after all of its employees have been medically cleared, company officials said Tuesday.

Initial testing of the closed plant’s skeleton crew produced 22 positives using a quick-result antibody test, said Dr. Johnathan Wade, a Berrien County family physician who works closely with Chaparral.

The 22 who tested positive could have been “false positives” in which the test gave wrong results or could have been people who were exposed to COVID-19 and had developed antibodies which showed up in testing, he said.

Testing then turned to the more extensive nose-swab COVID-19 tests, which showed all of the workers were fit to return to their jobs, Wade said.

Major efforts have been made to ensure employee safety when work resumes Wednesday, said Ann Baldree, the company’s senior vice president.

“During the six weeks we’ve been closed, we’ve been sourcing masks, sanitizing and doing research,” she said.

“The safety and health of our employees and our community is always a top priority at Chaparral Boats,” said Buck Pegg, company founder. “We are going to great lengths to ensure we are implementing the necessary safety protocols as provided by our local government along with national health organizations.”

When the company reopens, social distancing will be emphasized and all workers’ temperatures checked every morning, with anyone running a fever or showing other COVID-19 symptoms sent home, Baldree said.

All 750 of the plant’s employees are being called back, she said; no layoffs or cutbacks are planned.

“We have a strong back order of boats,” Baldree said. “We need every employee back.”