Warren (United States) (AFP)

Safety masks and glasses on the face, temperature control and hand washing on arrival: the automobile workers resumed their way to the factories in the United States on Monday two months after a closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is the first major test for a possible acceleration of deconfinement and the resumption of economic activity as well as the start of a new era in factories.

"It is still early days but we have not heard of a major incident and the workforce appears to be at or even above what we estimate," Brian Rothenberg, a spokesperson, told AFP. of the powerful United Auto Workers (UAW) union.

In Warren, north of Detroit, where a production plant for Fiat Chrysler RAM 1500 (FCA US) RAM 1500 pickups, the first employees arrived shortly before 5:00 a.m. local time, in the rain, to take their service, AFP journalists found.

Safety and health precautions were installed, while agents ensured that physical distance was respected and filled out a questionnaire to find out whether the workers had been in recent contact with sick people or if they had symptoms. .

"Everyone should be tested before entering because we can catch it here without knowing it. We risk our lives by coming to the factory," worried Theresa Segura, whose brother recently tested positive. at Covid-19.

"They (FCA US) will contact me in the next 24 hours to tell me the procedure to follow so that I can be tested as well," she said, explaining that she had been in physical contact with her brother.

"I'm a little anxious," said Gary Laruante, saying he came back because he has to support his family.

The manufacturer was pleased that "everyone (it) followed the new protocols; there were enough people on the assembly lines to start production".

- Trump at Ford on Thursday -

At General Motors, the country's largest automaker, "things went without a hitch," said Jim Cain, a spokesperson.

He assured that the four-brand automaker - Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac - had checked the employees' temperature and given them masks, safety glasses and other personal protective equipment before letting them enter the factories.

The latter also had to wash their hands with hydroalcoholic gel and also had to respect the distance, necessary for assembly lines where employees are often side by side and face-to-face in reduced areas.

The three major American manufacturers have entered into partnerships with laboratories and health centers for the rapid diagnosis of their employees who show symptoms of Covid-19.

President Donald Trump, who is pressing companies to revive the economic machine, is due to visit a Ford site, Ypsilanti, southeast of Detroit on Thursday. The latter had been refurbished, at the height of the pandemic in the United States, to manufacture respirators in partnership with General Electric.

- Gradual return -

The reopening of the factories of the "Big Three" in Detroit comes at a time when some states are still hesitant to accelerate deconfinement, while polls show that a large part of the employees fear to return to the office.

If it is carried out without the occurrence of new cases of contamination, it could encourage other still hesitant sectors to do the same.

"The reopening of auto factories is important for the economy, tax revenue, the survival of automakers and the stabilization of the job market," said Art Wheaton, professor of labor law at Cornell University in New York.

The resumption of production of cars will be gradual, repeat GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, whose work organization is in three-eighths.

"We are restarting operations with one team. We will add the second team, and potentially the third, in the coming weeks if conditions allow," said Jim Cain at GM.

On Monday, 17 of 32 sites in the Detroit giant reopened, according to a tally provided by the company, and activity should resume in Canada on Tuesday. Preparations are underway for the reopening of the Mexican sites.

At Ford, only two teams have resumed work to allow regular disinfection of the factories, while a recurring break of 10 minutes is taken at FCA US for cleaning.

The manufacturers claim to have planned this reopening on the basis of lessons learned in Asia, in this case in China, where the resumption of production in February took place without new cases of infections.

Nearly 40 workers in the US auto industry died from the coronavirus, according to the UAW union.

© 2020 AFP