Nissan, Toyota halt activities in Brazil as pandemic worsens
Car makers Nissan and Toyota announced Thursday (Mar. 25) the suspension of their activities in Brazil due to the worsening of COVID-19 transmissions. The country has over 300 thousand deaths reported so far. Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen had already announced a halt in activities.
In a note, Nissan says it decided to adopt collective vacations at the Industrial Complex of Resende, in Rio de Janeiro, from March 26 to April 9, resuming production on April 12.
The measure, the company stated, aims to “ensure the safety of workers, in a bid to reduce the impact of the pandemic, adapting the company to the current scenario of challenges facing the auto sector, and ensuring the continuity of business.”
Toyota reported that, starting Monday (Mar. 29), the four plants located in São Bernardo do Campo, Indaiatuba, Sorocaba, and Porto Feliz—all of which in São Paulo—will have activities suspended for up to ten consecutive days.
“The measure aims to contribute to decreasing the circulation of people at the most critical moment of the pandemic in the country, and is in line with the authorities’ decision to bring holidays early in some of these regions,” the text reads.
Activities, therefore, will be resumed on April 6 in Indaiatuba, and on April 5 in the remaining locations. Toyota has 5.6 thousand workers in Brazil.
The moving average of deaths in Brazil has reached the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, with over 5.5 thousand notifications in the epidemiological week initiated on March 14, as per data from the National Council of Health Secretaries (CONASS).
