The factories will remain closed until March 29
The Milwaukee brand is facing some difficulties regarding some employees that were tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). As a necessary health measure, some US factories were closed Wednesday afternoon.
Harley-Davidson is not the only brand that had to close their factories due to the Coronavirus outbreak. KTM, Ducati, and Yamaha stopped their production line in Italy while Mv Agusta enforced health measures to keep their plants open.
After some employees tested positive for COVID-19, Harley-Davidson decided to close their factories until March 29.
“We recognize the unprecedented nature of this global crisis. To best support our employees and following the social distancing guidance issued by public health authorities, we are temporarily suspending the majority of production at our U.S. manufacturing facilities,” said Jochen Zeitz, CEO and president of Harley-Davidson.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary steps to prioritize employee health and safety,” he added.
So, the York Vehicle Operations in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin facilities Tomahawk Operations and Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations have been suspended. Furthermore, the facilities will go through a disinfecting process to make sure everything will be in order when the production line will reopen. The employees will be on temporary layoff with medical benefits.