Nissan's plants in U.S. to be shut through late April to limit spread of COVID-19

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it would extend its factory suspensions in the United States through late April to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect employees.

Nissan had initially planned to halt production at its U.S. plants through Monday after closing them on March 20.

Even before the outbreak of the virus, the Japanese automaker had been hit hard by falling sales in the U.S. market. In February, it reported its first quarterly net loss in 11 years for the October to December period and cut its full-year earnings forecast.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus in the United States, other Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., have also kept their U.S. plants idle. General Motors Co. and other U.S. automakers have been doing the same.