WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2020) Volkswagen said in a press release on Wednesday that its employees at a plant in the US state of Tennessee will return to work on May 3 following a six-week suspension of operations due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
"We've dedicated the past several weeks to implementing stringent health and safety measures," Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO Tom du Plessis said in the release. "After assessing the current situation, we've decided to resume production under clear safety measures and with the health of our employees as our highest priority."
To allow ample time for implementation of new health and safety procedures, Volkswagen will resume operations in Chattanooga in phases, gradually increasing production volume over the course of several weeks. Each phase progressively lessens restrictions, with the final phase being a complete return to normal operations, the release said.
Most shops in the factory will schedule workers for five-day, eight-hour workweeks, with shifts and break times staggered to allow for social distancing in compliance with state regulations, the release added.
Several US states have begun reopening their economies, despite warnings from some health officials that a surge in new COVID-19 cases may occur.
