Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co said Thursday that it has decided to keep its automobile plants in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak of a new coronavirus, closed until Feb. 13.

The Japanese automaker earlier planned to keep the facilities offline through next Sunday in line with the Lunar New Year holiday in China.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to extend the period of closure for its two facilities in Shanghai, including a research and development base, by seven days until Feb. 9, sources in the company said.

Japanese companies are scrambling to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, as prolonged effects of the outbreak are feared to disrupt supply chains for their branches in China.

Honda has three plants in Wuhan that make models including its mainstay Civic car, with their combined annual production capacity standing at 600,000 units.

The three plants went offline on Jan. 23 for the Lunar New Year holiday.

A Honda public relations official said the company will decide whether to reopen the plants on Feb. 14 after monitoring the local situation.

JIJI Press