Coronavirus: Hyundai group donates $200,000 to Birmingham drive-through testing site

Hyundai's charitable giving group is contributing $200,000 to boost drive-through coronavirus testing in Birmingham.

The donation to the University of Alabama Children's Hospital is part of a $2.2 million gift to testing sites at 11 children's hospitals across the nation. It comes from Hyundai's Hope On Wheels nonprofit, which is supported by Hyundai Motor America and its dealer network.

A spokesman for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama said the donation is meant to support existing drive-through testing that's being conducted by the University of Alabama Birmingham and other pediatric hospitals. Hyundai said in a statement that drive-through testing is a safe and efficient way for children who may have underlying risk factors to to get care.

"Children who are diagnosed with cancer are particularly at higher risk," Hyundai Motor North America President and CEO Jose Munoz said in a statement. You can see more at hyundaihopeonwheels.org.

Vehicle production at Hyundai's Montgomery assembly plant has been shut down since March 18, when an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

HMMA announced last week that the shut-down would last at least until April 13 and that the over 3,000. Workers affected by the shutdown will get their regular pay during the downtime until April 3, but the company said they'll need to take vacation time to be paid from April 6-9.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.