FILE PHOTO: Volkswagen Tiguan cars are pictured in a production line at company's assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico, July 10, 2019. REUTERS/Imelda Medina

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - German automaker Volkswagen will extend until at least May 18 a suspension on operations at its Puebla production plant in Mexico due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The company’s Silao plant in Mexico is also temporarily down, and the company said it has not yet determined when it might resume operations.

The eventual re-start at both plants will be “gradual and under strict hygiene measures,” the statement added.

Volkswagen is among manufacturers worldwide who are responding to a steep fall in demand, as well as supply chain challenges following public health measures adopted by governments to rein in the pandemic.