German automotive giant Volkswagen said on Friday that it will stop production at its four plants in Brazil due to an increase in coronavirus diseases in the South American country.
The Wolfsburg-based company has said it will suspend factories from March 24 for a period of 12 days “to protect the health of workers and their families. “
“Only essential actions will be maintained,” he said in a statement. “Administrative staff will work remotely.”
Volkswagen plants in Sao Bernardo do Campo, 25 km south of Sao Paulo, ending Wednesday
The decision was made following talks with the ABC Metal Workers Union, which is urging companies in the sector to suspend their production lines.
Brazil is South America’s leading auto producer and a major base for Volkswagen from which it manufactures models specifically for the regional market.
The company came to a standstill on product lines last year when the pandemic began.
Most cases in one day, second death
More than 290,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Brazil, more than any other country but the United States.
His daily death tolls are among the worst in the world. On Friday, the Ministry of Health announced 90,570 new cases, mostly in one day in the country, and 2,815 deaths, the second worst figure to date.
President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to introduce a shutdown of the economy, saying Friday that they could be “fertile ground for a dictatorship” as they would push more people into poverty.
President Bolsonaro is a strong critic of locksmiths
“I would never accept the lock in Brazil,” he said, adding that measures to prevent the spread of the virus could encourage acts of “civil disobedience”.
The country’s former leader, Lula da Silva, has slammed Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 policies while knocking down a possible run for the presidency next year following a corruption conviction be eliminated.
Experts warn of a health disaster
The country ‘s health care system is getting out of the crisis as hospitals overflow.
Researchers at Fiocruz, Brazil’s leading health care institute, described the situation as an “accident.”
A paper published on March 16 said that intensive care beds in the 27 states of the country were now almost full.
Brazil is going through “the biggest sanitation and hospital collapse in history,” Fiocruz said. “The situation is absolutely critical.”
jf / msh (AFP, Reuters)