21 Employees of Unilever Indonesia confirmed positive Covid-19, all products sterilized and incubated for 14 days

Last updated on May 18th, 2021 at 06:06 am

The number of positive cases confirmed by Coronavirus in the new cluster at the Unilever factory in Cikarang has increased to 36 people. There are 15 family members of employees who are also infected with the Coronavirus.

A spokesperson for Task Force for the Acceleration of Covid-19 Handling for Bekasi Regency, Alamsyah said that as of Friday at 11.00 WIB, the number of positive confirmed cases in the new cluster at PT Unilever Savory Factory had increased to 36 people.

“In addition to 21 employees, 15 family members of employees are also infected with Covid-19. While there are 30 ODP,” Alamsyah said as quoted by Antara on Friday, July 3.

Alamsyah said the addition of the Covid-19 positive cases was found out after it had carried out a swab test to all parties who had direct contact with employees who were confirmed to be positive for COVID-19.

Those who were confirmed positive had been treated in a number of referral hospitals and some did self-isolation in their respective homes.

His party works closely with the company to keep track of the possible spread of Covid-19 and up to now, 500 people have been examined through swab tests, including employees, families, and neighbors.

“Tracing has reached the family and neighbors around the employee’s residence. The details, 265 employees we examined, more than 200 other people who had made contact have also been tested. All of them have done with the swab test,” he said.

Bekasi Regent Eka Supria Atmaja instructed regional authorities to closely monitor the implementation of health protocols in all industrial sectors after a new Covid-19 cluster was discovered at PT Unilever.

“Bekasi Regency is an industrial area, so it must be strictly guarded, so there will not be any more new Covid-19 clusters, let alone the Industrial sector. Hence, health protocols must be monitored there,” Eka said in Cikarang, Friday, July 3.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Indonesian Association of Food and Beverage Entrepreneurs (Gapmmi) Adhi S Lukman admitted that there were employees from one of its members, namely Unilever, tested positive for Covid-19. The employee came from one of Unilever’s business unit factories in Cikarang.

“We have confirmed that there is a positive employee of Covid-19. Then, the company decided to conduct a PCR test on all employees and found 19 people with symptoms of Covid-19 positive (OTG),” Adhi said when contacted in Jakarta, Friday, July 3.

However, Adhi said that Unilever had implemented the right procedure in handling the emergence of a positive case of Covid-19 in one of Unilever’s business unit factories in Cikarang. This action is considered in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Industry which regulates regulations regarding the running of manufacturing production processes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unilever will sterilize and incubate all of its factory products after 21 employees tested positive for Covid-19 infection.

“This is goodwill from the company. All products will be sterilized and incubated for 14 days to ensure all are safe. Even though the World Health Organization or WHO says that there is no transmission to food,” said Adhi.

According to Adhi, in addition to conducting PCR tests, Unilever also asked their employees for leave of absence and temporarily stopped the production process and conducted thorough sterilization of all products produced at the factory.

Thus Adhi seeing that Unilever’s Operational Permit and Industrial Activity Mobility (IOMKI) need not be revoked, but it needs to be implemented tougher health protocols.