The U.S. automotive industry relies heavily on Mexico to create the parts necessary to create the cars. COVID-19 shuttered the factories in Mexico and the result has been a delay in the production of vehicles in the U.S. It now seems that U.S. automakers will have to wait even longer.

Earlier this week, news broke that Mexico was reopening manufacturing to prop up the U.S. automakers.

Mexico’s COVID-19 epidemic is still growing. There have been more than 42,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in Mexico resulting in more than 4,000 deaths in the North American country. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been criticized for his lack of a response to the crisis.

When the AMLO administration responded, one of the decisions was to shutdown nonessential businesses. This announcement immediately affected manufacturing as factories and breweries were shutdown to slow the spread of the virus.

Now, confusion is spreading through the automotive industry following an announcement from Mexico.

Mexico had originally announced that manufacturing would be reopening this week. The announcement signaled some much-needed supplies and production to prop up U.S. carmakers. Carmakers have been halted since the coronavirus began to spread throughout the U.S.

The confusion came when the Mexican government posted guidelines to reopening its economy and said manufacturing can begin on June 1. The Mexican government chose that start date to give factories a chance to implement safety regulations.

It is uncertain how much of an impact a two-week delay from Mexico would impact carmakers in the U.S.

The General Motors website boasts a change to the way of doing business to help fight the spread of COVID-19 while protecting workers. The automotive company has set forth policies aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and through the workforce.

According to a guide posted to the GM website, there is a 4-step approach to reentering the facilities for all employees. Employees will have to fill out questionnaires and practice physical distancing while returning to the factories. GM will be doing temperature screenings of employees to make sure those with fevers are kept from the facility. Mask will be required for all of the employees while in the factories and new signage in the facilities will detail new health guidelines to manage the spread of the virus.

U.S. carmakers are still unsure about what will happen Monday when U.S.-based factories reopen.

Credit: Carlos Aranda / Unsplash

American automotive factories are reopening on Monday as states begin reopening their economies. COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in the U.S. Governors who have rushed reopenings have seen new death and infection rate records. Texas recently saw its deadliest day on record two weeks after reopening the state against health guidelines.

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