Nokia resumes operations at its Sriperumbudur facility after employees test positive

ET wrote to Nokia to find out how many employees from the Sriperumbudur plant had tested positive and is awaiting a response from the Finnish firm. The factory had resumed operations under the standard operating procedures that had been laid down by the State government as the lockdown norms were eased for the manufacturing sector, in a bid to revive the economy.

Chennai: Nokia has resumed operations at its its factory in Sriperumbudur after briefly remaining shut following some employees testing positive for Covid-19, a spokesperson from the company confirmed to ET via email.

"We have now resumed operations with minimum required staff strength. We are closely monitoring the situation and plan to gradually ramp-up," the Finnish company said in the statement.

The company declined to comment on how many of their employees tested positive.

In their statement, Nokia said the India factory had been operating at a restricted level for the past few weeks with necessary government approvals and in compliance with local regulations ensuring all safety practices.

Nokia said the company had suspended operations last week and had since undertaken further fumigation and sanitization activities in line with regulatory guidelines.

Shutting down the factory, however, was the company's own decision.

"Our protocol says only that part of the factory where the infected person worked need to be temporarily closed and thoroughly disinfected. In Nokia's case, the management itself took the decision to close," said a senior official in the Tamil Nadu Industries Department.

The company said it had already implemented a suite of measures to limit the risk of infection within the factory. These measures included social distancing, enhanced cleaning regimes, increased hygiene and mandatory face masks for employees, rules for transport and travel, changes to canteen facilities, and screening measures at multiple points on arrival.

"All employees are also being regularly briefed on hygiene and expected behaviours. Compliance with these rules and behaviours, and the effectiveness of these measures are under continual review," Nokia added.

The Nokia factory is located on the outskirts of State capital, Chennai which is the worst hit district in the State with 11,640 cases. Tamil Nadu touched 17,728 cases in all on Tuesday.

The company's closure came close on the heels of Chinese smartphone maker Oppo suspended operations at a plant last week after some workers tested positive for the novel Coronavirus.