Harley-Davidson has become the latest manufacturer to halt production after an employee at its US factory was diagnosed with the coronavirus. In the past week, Ducati and KTM have shut down their plants as a precautionary measure.
The employee that tested positive worked at the Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations facility. As a result, Harley-Davidson is halting production at this factory, as well as at its York and Tomahawk facilities.
Harley-Davidson has said the factories will remain closed until March 29th, in order to help “support employee health and further bolster coronavirus containment efforts.”
“We recognize the unprecedented nature of this global crisis. In order to best support our employees and following the social distancing guidance issued by public health authorities, we are temporarily suspending the majority of production at our U.S. manufacturing facilities. We will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary steps to prioritize employee health and safety", said Jochen Zeitz, acting CEO and President of Harley-Davidson.
Earlier today, Harley-Davidson released prices for its updated BS6 range and while it's too soon to say, it's likely some of the manufacturer's CBU units may be affected by the shutdown.