Amid the growing fear of the second wave of coronavirus infection, factory workers began returning to work in Michigan on Monday, hinting reopening of the U.S. auto sector as strict lockdowns started getting relaxation across the country.

With the economy lurching and millions of Americans going jobless, the majority of states are offering relaxations on restrictions imposed on commerce and social life to slow the outbreak.

On Monday, a few auto suppliers in Michigan and a Midwest industrial powerhouse that was severely hit by the pandemic, reopened plants with only a handful of workers to resume production of vehicles from next week.

Qualified workers and salaried employees also started getting back to auto assembly plants to plan for a profound restart.

In an interview, Joe Perkins, chief executive of Busche and Performance Group, said, “we’re starting up our plant this week in anticipation of the orders coming in next.” Busche and Performance is an engineering, casting, and machining firm.

As per the rules, factory workers will be provided face masks and checked for fever. Every worker will be required to submit health-screening questionnaires.

“Everything is ready to go,” Perkins said in the interview. “The main question is, are people going to buy cars and trucks.”