Some automakers in China will resume production after being temporarily shut down since mid-March due to COVID lockdowns in the region as the country enacts a zero-COVID approach to the virus.

China is experiencing the worst COVID outbreak that it has seen in two years which prompted officials to lock down several cities in the country, including several business sectors.

These lockdowns, which include the cities of Shanghai and Jilin, have affected automakers, Toyota, Tesla, and Volkswagen, which halted production at their plants.

As the economy in the region took a hit due to the business lockdowns and rising unemployment, the Jilin government announced that companies could resume production as it said that it had been successful in eliminating the spread of the virus outside the community by quarantining the area, CNN reported.

This announcement came after Shanghai published a “white list” of 666 companies that are allowed to resume operations, of which 40% are automakers or companies that supply the auto industry, CNN said. But it is unclear exactly when these companies can begin operations again.

Automakers affected in Jilin include Toyota and Volkswagen. Both automakers will begin ramping up production after their plants, which were closed for weeks due to the COVID lockdowns in Changchun within the province of Jilin.

Toyota’s plant has been shut down since March 14.

It said in a statement obtained by CNN about resuming its plant’s operations, “We have been gradually preparing to resume operation in our Changchun plant since late last week. However, the time for full-scale operations has yet to determined.”

Volkswagen resumed operations at its Changchun plants on Monday, but production at its Shanghai plant remains halted, CNN reported. Volkswagen operates the Shanghai factory in a partnership with state-owned automaker SAIC.

Tesla, which also has a plant in Shanghai, is planning on resuming production at the factory on Monday, Reuters said.

Tesla’s Shanghai factory has been shut down since at least March 28 due to China’s zero COVID strategy lockdowns, Bloomberg previously reported.

Tesla Model 3s at Shanghai Port
More than 1,800 Tesla electric cars, including over 1,600 Model 3 from the United States, arrive at Pudong Waigaoqiao Port in Shanghai, China. VCG | Getty Images
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