Mexico to reopen auto factories

The Mexican government is planning to reopen automotive factories which it had previously deemed unessential businesses.

According to Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department, the details of the plan would be released in the coming days. In an April 24 statement, the department said health safeguards would be in place to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which caused Mexico to order the closure of non-essential plants several weeks ago.

“The Mexican government will be emphatic about health protection and will ensure that the reopening will be orderly, gradual and cautious,” the statement said.

The decision comes after United States ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau posted a message on Twitter on April 21 to persuade the government to get automakers back to work out of concern for the North American free trade zone’s supply chain. “There are risks everywhere, but we don’t all stay at home for fear we are going to get in a car accident,” the tweet said. “The destruction of the economy is also a health threat.”

The automotive industry accounts for 17.6% of the country’s manufacturing sector and, as of July 2019, employed some 977,000 people.