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PSA Shuts Down All Plants in Europe on Coronavirus Concerns

With Europe now gripped in a battle for its survival against the coronavirus, companies located there are taking extreme measures to prevent further spread of the infection.
PSA shuts down this week 1 photo
Photo: PSA
Until the end of last week, carmakers have been wary of shutting down production facilities, despite the fact that some have advised their employees to work from home, if their jobs allow it. That changed over the weekend as the number of reported infections and deaths surged to new heights.

None of the announcements made thus far – Ferrari included – does not match in scale the closures announced on Monday by French Group PSA.

In an announcement that will definitely have far-reaching effects on the auto industry, PSA said it is closing down 15 facilities in Europe, in stages. Plants in France and Spain close as of today, March 16, while other locations in France, Spain, Germany, the UK and Poland will close their gates on Tuesday. They will be followed by other different locations in France, Spain and Portugal on Wednesday, and another one in the UK and Slovakia will shut down on Thursday (full list and dates can be found in the press release section below).

“The site management teams will implement the site closure procedures locally, which will be done in coordination with the social partners,” the group said in a statement.

„Groupe PSA remind that until then, compliance with the barrier measures, going beyond the recommendations of the health authorities on the sites, are the best protection to prevent the spread of the virus.”

PSA justifies the decision both through the need to protect its employees, and on account of the disruptions in supply and the decline in auto markets across the continent.

More importantly, PSA does not say when it expects the facilities to reopen. Also, we expect similar decisions to be announced in the coming hours by other major players as well.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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