Oppo Shuts Greater Noida Factory After 6 Test Covid-19 Positive, 3,000 Under Testing

Oppo, the BBK Electronics-owned Chinese electronics manufacturer, on Monday confirmed that six workers at its smartphone plant in Greater Noida has tested positive for Covid-19. While the affected workers have been sent to necessary medical facilities, Oppo has shut its factory premises down and instructed 3,000 employees to undergo coronavirus testing. Operations will be resumed only after the facility is fully sanitised and the workers that are currently under testing return test negative for Covid-19, a company official confirmed to News18.

An Oppo India spokesperson said about the matter, "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 3,000+ employees, for which results are awaited. (We) will only allow employees with negative test results to resume office following all safety protocols. We are undertaking stringent measures to keep the employees safe and disinfecting the premises."

Oppo is one of the many OEMs that had resumed operations as lockdown protocol was relaxed in several areas that did not fall under the red zones. However, with the number of Covid-19 cases still on a steady rise in India, the staggered process of opening up of the Indian economy is coming under considerable stress as well.

From earlier today, e-commerce companies have also opened up to taking orders for non-essential items. This has reopened the Indian e-commerce market to sell smartphones and other electronics items again after all such activities were suspended due to the lockdown, started over 50 days ago. With the market opening up to take orders from consumers, it now remains to be seen as to when might Oppo be able to resume normal operations at its factory, which in turn would help maintain the demand and supply balance for its smartphones.