Oppo, the Chinese smartphone company, has shut down its Greater Noida factory after six factory workers tested positive for Covid-19.
The company is now playing the waiting game as its post-lockdown 3000-strong workforce is undergoing tests for the coronavirus and the results will determine when it can resume manufacturing. The company, at the moment, has a 10,000-strong workforce in India.
In a statement, the company said, ‘Oppo had obtained permission from the state authorities to resume production earlier this month, following the MHA directive. As an organisation that places the safety of all our employees and citizens at the forefront, we have suspended all operations at our manufacturing facility in Greater Noida and initiated Covid-19 testing for 3000+ employees, for which results are awaited’.
The company added that it will allow only those employees to work who test negative for the virus and all the required safety protocols will be adhered to. It has undertaken ‘stringent measures’ to ensure the safety of its employees and has disinfected the workplace premises.
Setback despite following protocols
Only recently, on May 8, 2020, Oppo was permitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, MHA to resume manufacturing in its Greater Noida plant as the MHA deemed it safe to resume work in green and orange zones in the country.
Moreover, back then, Oppo was still playing it safe by allowing only 30% of its employees to start work at its manufacturing facility, adhering to a rotational shift timing. Apart from smartphones, Oppo had also ventured into manufacturing masks for its employees at its Greater Noida plant.
According to the company, all its employees were following social distancing and were adhering to safety protocols as per the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Because of the lockdown, no smartphones were sold in the month of April, as per a report by analyst firm Counterpoint. May sales numbers were also in the negative for smartphone manufacturers in India.
Via Economic Times
