Coronavirus: China reports work-related infections as factories, offices resume operations amid outbreak
- Gree Electric, the country's biggest air-conditioner manufacturer, was forced to check and quarantine employees after a bus driver had close contact with a suspected case
- China is attempting to slowly resume economic activities after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, while also controlling the spread of the coronavirus
Cracks have appeared in China’s eagerness to resume economic activities amid the coronavirus outbreak, with a number of work-related cases reported.
Gree Electric, the country's biggest air-conditioner manufacturer located in the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province, was forced to take emergency action last week to check and quarantine its employees after a bus driver was found to have had close contact with a suspected case, according to a notice published by the company’s labour union on its social media account.
The contracted driver, surnamed Feng, had been driving employees to and from work last week until Saturday, with Gree now “intensely” checking the condition of employees who had travelled on the bus.
In addition, Feng was found to have had a meal with three colleagues last week, which was against his company’s policy concerning coronavirus control. According to the statement, Gree recommended that the contractor sack all four drivers despite the quartet, plus Feng’s son, later testing negative.
The Gree statement, which was later removed, did not provide details on how many workers have been placed under quarantine. Gree declined to comment further when contacted by the South China Morning Post.