Yamaha Motor Co on Monday said it will temporarily suspend its motorcycle production at two plants in India to protect employees from a surge in coronavirus infections. The plants in Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh and Chennai in Tamil Nadu state will halt production between May 15 and 31, said a spokesman for the Japanese company.

He further stated that the decision on whether the plants will resume production in June onwards will be made after assessing the situation. The statement did not mention whether any cases of Covid-19 had been reported at either of the plants.

“The step has been taken to support the government in its fight against COVID-19 and break the chain of COVID-19 transmission. In the current scenario, the health and safety of its employees is the top priority for the company. Yamaha will continue to work closely with its dealers and suppliers to minimise the impact of this interruption and focus on optimisation of stock. The employees working at the corporate office and area offices shall work from home to preserve business continuity while providing the best possible support to customers and business partners,” a statement released by the company said.

Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki India said it has extended the maintenance shutdown of its plants till May 16 amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. The company had last month said it was advancing the annual plant maintenance shutdown to May 1-May 9, which was originally scheduled for June.

In a regulatory filing, the automaker said, “This is to inform you that the maintenance shutdown, which was till the 9th May, 2021, is being extended till the 16th May, 2021 keeping in view the current pandemic situation. Some activities will continue in the plants.”

The Company has been informed that Suzuki Motor Gujarat has taken the same decision, it further added. Maruti, however, said some activities will continue in the plants located at Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana.