Authorities in Bekasi, West Java, have discovered a cluster of COVID-19 cases in a factory run by publicly listed consumer goods giant PT Unilever Indonesia in the Cikarang industrial zone, prompting the temporary closure of the plant.
The transmission is believed to have begun among staff in the engineering division in Unilever’s tea-based beverages (TBB) plant. Twenty-one workers have been confirmed as being infected with COVID-19 in the facility following tracing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, Bekasi COVID-19 task force spokesman Alamsyah said on Thursday as reported by kontan.co.id.
The management decided to close the TBB plant on June 26 until further notice, Unilever’s corporate affairs director and company secretary Sancoyo Antarikso said.
“We will continue to make sure that all safety and occupational health standards in our factory meet the requirements before we resume normal operation,” he told kontan.co.id.
Sancoyo added that a total of 265 employees worked in the TBB plant and all had undergone PCR tests.
The employees have been asked to stay at home until the factory reopens, he said. (vny)
