Royal Enfield to shut manufacturing plants for three days amid Covid crisis

Eicher Motors Ltd-owned Royal Enfield will shut its three south Indian manufacturing plants for three days to ensure safety amid rising COVID-19 cases, according to an internal note seen by Reuters and two sources.

Royal Enfield - an famous brand in India, the world's biggest motorbike market, will shut its three manufacturing plants from May 27 to May 29, the internal note to workers said.

"We will resume operation from Monday, 31st May," the internal note to workers signed by Royal Enfield Chief Operating Officer B Govindarajan said.

"The above days shall be compensated later as per market needs," Govindarajan said in the note.

Royal Enfield did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

All the three plants are located in and around Chennai in southern Tamil Nadu state, often dubbed India's Detroit. The automaker had also shut its plants for three days earlier this month from May 13 to May 15.

Tamil Nadu is one of the worst hit states with more than 30,000 cases a day last week. The state, an auto hub known as India's Detroit, has imposed a lockdown but has allowed some factories, including auto plants, to continue operating.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan, editing by Louise Heavens)