Aptiv And Thyssenkrupp Join Tesla In Plant Shutdowns As Covid Surges In Shanghai

Just when it seemed some light was visible at the end of Covid’s long pandemic tunnel, some two-steps-back news out of China. Automotive News reports that component and car tech producer Aptiv, along with materials and production systems maker Thyssenkrupp, have halted some or all work at their Shanghai plants after Covid cases suddenly surged.

American electric carmaker Tesla had already closed its plant on March 27 as the illness surged once again in Shanghai, with cases spiking by a third in a short period of time. Covid infection numbers had been falling following outbreaks of the Delta and Omicron variants due to increased vaccination rates and other factors, but the fresh surge in the city of 26 million prompted Shanghai officials to close the city’s busy financial district on March 28, according to Reuters.

Officials in Shanghai had implemented restrictions days ago as case numbers spiked yet again, but it does not appear the “zero-COVID“ measures were effective, at least in the short term. General Motors, which also has a plant in Shanghai and is in a joint venture with Tesla there, has remained in operation after instructing workers to sleep at the plant to reduce the chances of contracting the virus outside the facility. The move came with the blessing of local officials, according to Automotive News.

Aptiv is a major technology provider for the automotive market as a whole, including for Tesla vehicles. Thyssenkrupp is a multinational materials supplier and supply chain facilitator that works in the the automotive, aerospace and defense industries, among others. Both are crucial contributors to many carmakers. Thyssenkrupp said it will reevaluate opening again on April 6, in accordance with local guidelines. German auto parts maker Bosch told Euronews.com its two plants in Shanghai were operating but with reduced personnel.

The World Health Organization says the Omicron variant now includes three sub-variations, one of which, Omicron subvariant BA.2, has become known as the “stealth Omicron” variant and appears to be highly transmissible. The WHO says the Omicron BA.2 variant is now the dominant version among those with Omicron infections. Officials in the United Kingdom recently posted a notice that the variant has been detected there and they are closely monitoring BA.2’s spread in the group of nations.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said on social media that he may have caught the virus again following a trip to his new plant in Germany the previous week, but said his symptoms were not serious.