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The coronavirus contagion appears to be spreading unabated in industrial clusters of Gujarat. In a latest, pharma major, Lupin Limited has suspended operations at one of the 11 plants it has at the Ankleswhwar facility after at least 8 of its employees tested Covid-19 positive.
Officials from Bharuch district collectorate confirmed that at least eight employees from the facility tested positive for Covid-19. Sources informed that initially six employees had tested positive on July 11, and some more cases were reported on Tuesday after the company conducted tests for all its plant employees. The reports for others are awaited as the testing of employees continues at the facility.
The company is said to have temporarily suspended operations at one of the 11 plants at the facility, as sanitisation process of the premises is underway. Lupin manufactures intermediates and bulk drugs at Ankleshwar, which is a CGMP compliant facility making products for global markets, including the US, Europe and East Asian regions.
An emailed query sent to Lupin in this connection remained unanswered.
Spread across, 40 acres, Ankleshwar facility employs nearly 1,000 people.
Health officials informed that the employees had contracted the infections mostly from outsider visitors having travel history from Surat or Ahmedabad.
However, the worrying part of the Covid-19 cases is that the virus is spreading in the manufacturing units around the areas. In a separate incident, last week, RPG Lifesciences Limited had seen at least 10 of its employees testing positive for Covid-19 at its Ankleshwar unit, local government officials confirmed. RPG Lifesciences, however, has not made any official confirmation about the coronavirus infections at its facility.
Meanwhile, earlier this month on July 2, Sun Pharma had temporarily closed down its Dadra facility at the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, after 17 of its employees tested positive for Covid-19.
In May, Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited had lost three of its employees, and more than 30 had tested positive for Covid-19 at its Dholka manufacturing facility. The company had to close its plant operations from May 6 for about 15 days.
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