Ford on Tuesday confirmed that it intends to restart initial production at most of its main continental European vehicle and engine plants from May 4.

Ford Motor said Tuesday it plans to begin reopening its European plants next week with new global safety protocols to limit the spread of Covid-19, providing a potential template for reopening its U.S. operations.

The European plants have been shuttered since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a rolling shutdown of its manufacturing plants globally beginning in January in China. Other major markets such as Europe and the U.S., remain shuttered.

Shares of Ford were up more than 3% Tuesday. The company's stock is down 43% in 2020.

Ford said its plants in Europe will be brought up gradually with new global standards on social distancing and employee health and safety actions. Measures include mandatory face masks and, in some cases, shields; body temperature checks of everyone entering the facilities; completion of a daily wellness self-assessment process; and redesigned work areas for social distancing.