Photo: Volkswagen
As the coronavirus pandemic is getting more and more serious in Europe and elsewhere, governments and companies are taking increasingly extreme measures to contain the spread of the infections.
On Monday, March 16, French carmaker PSA announced it will be closing all of its production facilities on the Old Continent by the end of the week. On Tuesday, rumors surfaced about Volkswagen, one of the largest carmakers on the planet, doing the same.
According to German publication Der Spiegel, the Germans are about to announce that this Friday is the last day its facilities in Europe will be open. The source cites a letter sent by Volkswagen's work council to the employees.
For now, there is no information on the extent of the measure, or for how long it will last. PSA didn't estimate how long its facilities will remain closed either.
As part of the company's financial results report for 2019 released on Tuesday, VW's Group Board of Management Member for Finance and IT Frank Witter said it is to be expected some effects will be felt this year.
“The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group,” the official said.
“Currently, it is almost impossible to make a reliable forecast. We are making full use of all measures in task force mode to support our employees and their families and to stabilize our business.”
The coronavirus pandemic that started at the end of last year in China quickly spread to Europe, which is presently ground zero in terms of infections and deaths. At the beginning of the week, there were for the first time more active cases outside China than in the country where it all started.
There are now nearly 190,000 infections and nearly 7,500 deaths.
According to German publication Der Spiegel, the Germans are about to announce that this Friday is the last day its facilities in Europe will be open. The source cites a letter sent by Volkswagen's work council to the employees.
For now, there is no information on the extent of the measure, or for how long it will last. PSA didn't estimate how long its facilities will remain closed either.
As part of the company's financial results report for 2019 released on Tuesday, VW's Group Board of Management Member for Finance and IT Frank Witter said it is to be expected some effects will be felt this year.
“The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group,” the official said.
“Currently, it is almost impossible to make a reliable forecast. We are making full use of all measures in task force mode to support our employees and their families and to stabilize our business.”
The coronavirus pandemic that started at the end of last year in China quickly spread to Europe, which is presently ground zero in terms of infections and deaths. At the beginning of the week, there were for the first time more active cases outside China than in the country where it all started.
There are now nearly 190,000 infections and nearly 7,500 deaths.
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