Toyota to resume production at Karnataka plant from July 20

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Thursday announced that work at its plant in Karnataka's Bidadi will resume from July 20 as per new directives issued by the state government. The facility had to be temporarily shut down once again owing to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state and in Bengaluru urban and rural districts in particular.

A seven-day lockdown has been imposed in the city of Bengaluru and this came into effect from Tuesday night. Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa requested people to abide by the rules and regulations. Mint reported that the state government exempted a large category of industries to remain open, including food processing, manufacturing of essential goods, drugs, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Oriented Units (EoUs), industrial townships adhering to national directives for Covid- l9 management.

Toyota on Wednesday had announced that it would once again suspend production at its facility but informed a day later that because new directives from the state government allow residents in Bengaluru urban and rural districts to move and commute for industries located inside industrial estates, its plant will resume work from July 20.

Several employees at the Bidadi facility previously tested positive for Covid-19 but Toyota maintains that strict safety and hygiene protocols are in place for the safety of everyone. "The office staff at TKM’s corporate and regional offices, continue to ‘work from home’ to help mitigate risks," it said in a press statement.