Top Glove expects its Klang factories to reopen in two weeks

 

Top Glove Corporation Bhd executive chairperson Lim Wee Chai expects its 28 rubber glove manufacturing factories in Klang, which were ordered to shut down due to a sharp surge of Covid-19 among factory workers, to reopen in another two weeks.

He said this after referring to the closure of other factories and premises, which had been ordered to close down after the staff were found infected with Covid-19.

"We hope (to reopen) in two to three weeks. The past record showed that other factories or premises, like shopping malls, were ordered to close one to two weeks," Lim said.

This is because company executive director Lim Cheong Guan expects a declining trend of Covid-19 cases in the Top Glove-linked Teratai cluster after the Covid-19 tests are concluded in this week.

"There were high infected cases the past few days, mainly because of the (mass) tests involving 5,740 staff done over the past four days and that resulted in higher positive Covid-19 cases. But a downward trend is expected after the ongoing Covid-19 tests are concluded," he said.

On Monday, Putrajaya instructed Top Glove to shut down all its 28 factories in Kapar in stages to facilitate the quarantine and Covid-19 test process.

As of today, a total 2,684 individuals, particularly Top Glove workers, were tested positive for Covid-19, making the rubber glove manufacturer the biggest contributor to Covid-19.

Putrajaya had instructed the conducting of Covid-19 tests for all Top Glove staff in Klang factories.

For workers registered with the Socso, they will be partially subsidised while employers will have to foot the rest of the bill.

Twenty factories in Klang have been shut down in stages since Nov 17, while eight factories operated on a smaller scale.

Meanwhile, Lim said he expected all the workers at the glove manufacturer's Klang factories to complete their Covid-19 tests this week.

He said the company would bear the remaining cost of Covid-19 screening for its workers if the cost per test exceeds RM150.

"For the test of Covid-19, we have to pay, but we can claim RM150 subsidy from the Social Security Organisation (Socso)," he said. - Mkini