BMW sets date for reopening South Carolina plant during coronavirus pandemic
Closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina is scheduled to reopen in May.
Plans are in place to restart production at the Spartanburg facility in less than a week on May 4, BMW spokesman Steve Wilson told The State on Tuesday.
About 11,000 people work at the plant that was shut down on March 29, with the original intent of reopening two weeks later.
But BMW kept the manufacturing facility shuttered longer than planned, extending the temporary shutdown through the end of April in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Health concerns were not the only factor in keeping the BMW facility closed.
“The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far reaching, and customer demand for our product has declined considerably,” officials said in an April 6 news release. “Stay at home orders are still active throughout the country and Mexico, which is adversely affecting our supply chain.”
That remains an issue for the South Carolina plant, which has produced nearly 5 million vehicles since opening in 1994.
“We are closely watching the current supply chain situation to see how this might affect us,” Wilson said.
While the plant has been closed, it has been cleaned and disinfected, officials previously said.
Information was not available on any new or enhanced safety protocols put in place for when production resumes.
Questions about possible employee furloughs and layoffs were not immediately answered. BMW officials previously said the shutdown forced it to adjust its production volume and workforce structure, and more changes were possible.
In addition to temporarily closing the plant, the automaker also had to cancel its annual celebrity golf tournament held in the Upstate. Changes to the PGA Tour schedule meant the cancellation of the BMW Charity Pro-Am, which was set for June 1-7.
“As disappointing as this is for everyone involved, our number one priority is the health and safety of the community-at-large as well as the fans, volunteers, players and sponsors of the tournament,” South Carolina Charities, Inc. president Bob Nitto said in a news release.
There have been 255 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Spartanburg County, fifth most in South Carolina behind Richland (840), Greenville (649), Charleston (435), Lexington (334) and Florence (268) counties, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Eight coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Spartanburg County, health officials said.
On Monday, 142 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 5,613 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that three more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 177. State health officials described 149 of the people as elderly, 28 patients were middle-aged.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
There have been 46,532 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
Symptoms of coronavirus can include a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. Other symptoms that could be signs are chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell, according to DHEC.
Among the emergency warning signs of COVID-19 is trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and blueish lips or face, the CDC said.
DHEC is encouraging people to practice social distancing to help stop the spread of the virus. Social distancing is staying away from unnecessary interactions with sick people and from large groups of people; it also calls for remaining at home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,074,948 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 213,273 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 994,625 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 56,749 deaths have been reported, including 17,515 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
