Subaru of Indiana Automotive to shut down 1 week for COVID-19 pandemic
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Subaru of Indiana Automotive will temporarily suspend production, according to a spokesperson.
The company says the factory will close March 23-29 and all associates will receive full pay during the shutdown. The closure is to “further ensure the health and safety of associates and to adjust volume for market demand as a result of COVID-19.”
As WLFI previously reported, a second employee was notified Wednesday that they came into contact with a person carrying the coronavirus. According to a company memo News 18 obtained, the person was instructed to self-quarantine for two weeks. They had not yet gotten to work at the time they got the notice.
The memo said the line where they work was temporarily halted and sanitized. No SIA employees had tested positive for the virus themselves, as of Wednesday night. The first case was reported March 11.
More than 6,000 employees work at the Lafayette manufacturing plant, the only one outside of Asia. The Ascent, Impreza, Legacy and Outback are all produced at the facility off State Road 38.