Luxury carmaker Ferrari said on Thursday it would restart operations at its Maranello and Modena plants on May 4, when Italy is set to start lifting lockdown measures.
The two facilities, both located in Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, have been closed since mid-March when Rome imposed curbs on people’s movements and froze manufacturing activities deemed as non-essential, to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The sites will resume operations “gradually” and return to full production on Friday, May 8, Ferrari said.
Ferrari said that before resuming operations it was organizing training sessions for workers – focused on precautionary measures they must take – as part of its “Back on Track” programme, unveiled earlier this month and aimed at preparing for a safe working environment at the sites.
Under this programme, Ferrari staff, families, and suppliers will first take blood tests and will then be given an app that will alert them if they’ve been in close contact with any of the people taking part in the scheme who had contracted COVID-19.
During the closure period, Ferrari has produced parts to convert snorkel masks into respirators for treating patients with coronavirus and to protect medical workers, using its 3D printing technology at its Maranello plant.