Bridgestone monitoring Coronavirus closely 

Brussels – Bridgestone Corp. is monitoring the spread of deadly Coronavirus closely and will taken necessary steps “as things progress”, the company said in a written statement 10 Feb. 

The Japanese tire maker said its operations or personnel in the region had not been impacted by the outbreak of the virus, which has claimed more than 900 lives, mainly in China.

"Our most important priority is to ensure the well-being and safety of our employees and the integrity of our operations," the Bridgestone statement added.

Bridgestone operates four tire production plants in Huizhou, Shenyang, Tianjin and Wuxi and two retreading units in Hong Kong and Qingdao in China. 

Recently identified virus 2019-nCoV was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December last year. The World Health Organisation has now described the disease as “a global emergency”.

As of 10 Feb, there have been more than 40,000 confirmed cases of the disease and 910 deaths, according to MarketWatch.