Nissan Viet Nam declared a temporary shutdown as from April 5. — Photo nissan.com.vn

Nissan Viet Nam has declared a temporary shutdown from April 5 amid the complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A representative of the automaker said its factory in the central city of Da Nang would halt operations, while its dealers in Ha Noi and Da Nang had already closed and others in the southern region had cut staff to less than 20 members each day to support customers when necessary.

The company had also sent office workers home from April 1-15, the representative said, adding that the suspension would last until further notifications from the Vietnamese Government.

Other automakers like Ford, Toyota, TC Motor and Honda have already suspended their operations in Viet Nam in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association has evaluated losses of the pandemic to the auto industry, saying many spare part manufacturers and automakers had been directly impacted due to lockdown policies imposed by many countries.

This would force businesses in the industry to adjust their production plans, even the temporary shutdown of plants, until they could find alternative materials and the epidemic was stamped out, the association said. — VNS