Even casual observers of the business scene could see the decision made by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. Monday afternoon to idle the Tilden Mine in National Mine coming from a mile away.

The company, in an announcement sent to local and business media, blamed problems caused by the COVID-19 outbreak for the decision.

Lourenco Goncalves, CCI’s no-nonsense chairman, president and chief executive officer, labeled the disruptions caused by the virus “extraordinary.”

“As our steel customers rationalize their operations’ capacities, we made the decision to adjust our iron ore production during the first half of the year and not continue to build additional iron ore inventory until market conditions improve,” he said in the written statement.

Goncalves noted that once the North American steel market improves, “Cleveland-Cliffs will be able to quickly restart and ramp up production.”

Of course, everyone wants to know exactly when production at the Tilden will halt and then resume. According to the press release, if nothing else changes, Tilden will be temporarily idled by the end of April with a restart planned in July.

A tough call by CCI officials but one that’s not unexpected, given what businesses large and small are up against these days.

We trust the company will continue to keep local residents who depend, either directly or indirectly, on the Tilden Mine for their living, well informed.

— The Mining Journal, Marquette