Dacia and Ford restart auto production in Romania

Romanian automaker Dacia, owned by France’s Renault and Ford Motor Craiova plant restarted operations on Monday after output was stopped because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in March, they said.

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

During the shutdown, both plants installed safety measures aimed at cutting the risk of COVID-19 infections and to make sure their workers are protected against the new coronavirus.

Ford stated it will gradually restart output in a single shift with about half of its employees.

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

Romania has seen 13,512 coronavirus infections and 803 deaths. It had declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16 and later increased it to May 15.