Audi and Volkswagen in Puebla Resume Production

Almost three months have passed since Audi and Volkswagen suspended productions operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, they both resumed production at reduced capacity and under the strictest sanitary protocols. Puebla's Governor Miguel Barbosa warned about the risk this could represent for the state.

"Decrees signed by the Puebla government remain current; automotive and construction sectors were classified as essential activities (by the federal government), but at this moment our criteria is that resuming production will represent a high risk for everyone, not only for the workforce but for the general public. We will see how the curve behaves," said Barbosa on a press statement. 

Puebla's state government had previously issued two decrees that delayed automotive production in the state, first to June 15 and a second decree two weeks ago that delayed production until today. Over the past week, both Audi and Volkswagen trained their respective workforce on the sanitary protocols already approved by the federal government. 

Audi's production was suspended on March 23. Thirteen weeks have passed since a new Q5 unit left the manufacturing line in San Jose Chapa, Puebla. The German automaker resumes production today at 30 percent capacity and under one shift in common agreement with Audi's local union. “We were one of the first companies to act to avoid contagion inside our facilities. Starting March 23, we began planning an eventual return where we always pondered the integrity of the entire workforce," said Audi México's President Andreas Lehe on a statement.

On its behalf, according to Yahoo News, Volkswagen scheduled production to restart this past Saturday, June 20. The workers' union informed that the company would resume production on Saturday to satisfy the demand for the Jetta model in foreign markets. On Sunday, the production of best-selling SUV TIguan started. Volkswagen continues to work under one shift following the sanitary protocols approved by the federal government. Spokesman from Volkswagen's workers union José Manuel Aburto told El Economista that only 16 percent out of the 7,000 technicians will return to the plant.

State's figures indicate that on June 19, Puebla reached the peak of new contagions registered in a single day with 381 new cases, with 74 percent of these contagions in the Puebla metropolitan area, according to Barbosa.