Carmakers Dacia and Ford resume production in Romania

BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romanian carmaker Dacia, owned by France’s Renault and Ford Motor Co’s Craiova plant resumed operations on Monday after output was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, they said.

Dacia has sent around 14,000 employees home on technical unemployment and Ford also suspended activity for its 6,000 staff.

During the shutdown, both plants implemented safety measures aimed at curbing the risk of COVID-19 infections and to ensure their employees are protected against the new coronavirus.

Ford said it will gradually resume output in a single shift with about half of its workers.

Dacia said that “production on the Mioveni industrial platform has been resumed, with the Mechanical and Chassis Plant working in three shifts.”

The European Union member state, which has recorded 13,512 coronavirus infections and 803 deaths, declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16 and later extended it to May 15.

(Reporting by Radu Marinas; editing by Jason Neely)