After 11 Workers Die From COVID-19, Fiat Chrysler Plans To Resume US Production May 4

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) announced that it plans to begin production at its U.S. and Canada plants starting on May 4. The automaker has previously shut down its facilities due to the coronavirus.

"FCA continues to make the health and well-being of its employees a top priority,” the company said in a statement (via Detroit Free Press). “With that in mind, FCA intends to progressively restart its U.S. and Canadian manufacturing facilities beginning May 4. The status of production at FCA’s Mexico operations will be the subject of a separate announcement."

While Fiat has made plans to reopen its plants, both Ford (F) and GM (GM) have not announced any decision on when production will resume at its U.S. facilities. Ford did announce that production at its European plants will not start until at least May 4.

Ford CEO Jim Hackett said that U.S. production is not likely to reopen before May, according to the news outlet.

He said, "We are continuing to assess public health conditions, government guidelines and supplier readiness to determine when to resume production in our North American plants. We’ll share more detail at the appropriate time."

Spokesman Jim Cain, told the Detroit Free Press that General Motors is "actively monitoring the situation, and when it is determined that we can safely resume regular production."

GM has not had any reported employee deaths from COVID-19, while Ford had six workers die from the virus. Fiat Chrysler has seen 11 employee deaths from COVID-19.

In a message discussing Fiat’s plans to reopen production, UAW president Rory L. Gamble said, "We are continuing to work with all of our employers across all sectors to keep our members safe. We will keep you updated as developments occur."

Shares of FCA stock were up 8.48% as of 9:53 a.m. EDT on Tuesday while shares of Ford stock were up 10.49% at the same time. Shares of GM stock were up 10.97% at the same time.