Coronavirus

Auto Plants Suspending Operations Because of COVID-19

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Alabama’s major car plants have been hit by coronavirus.

Hyundai closed its plant in the Montgomery area Wednesday after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. It plans to clean the entire plant and sanitize the area where the employee’s team works.

Honda also announced it would suspend production at its Lincoln plant, along with its other plants in the country, from March 23 to 31, according to WBRC. During that time, the company plans to thoroughly clean its facilities.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber is closing its plants in the Americas, including Gadsden, until April 3 because of a sudden drop in demand for its products, attributed to reactions to the coronavirus.

The Mercedes Benz SUV plant in Vance announced Friday it would suspend operations as of Monday. Bloomberg reported earlier in the week that the plant was threatened by a lack of parts coming from Europe.

Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes Benz, on Tuesday announced it was shutting down production at its plants in Europe for at least two weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 40,000 Alabamians work in the auto industry, either in car plants or suppliers, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.