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More than 5,000 of Top Glove workers in Malaysia tested positive for the coronavirus, the largest group in the country.
Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp reported on Monday that one of its workers died after contracting COVID-19, the first death since an outbreak in its bedrooms and factories.
The world’s largest glove maker told the Reuters news agency in an email that the 29-year-old worker from Nepal died on Saturday from COVID-19 pneumonia with pulmonary fibrosis.
It had worked at its manufacturing plant in Klang, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the capital Kuala Lumpur, for more than two years, the firm said.
The outbreak at the Top Glove facility in which more than 5,000 workers tested positive was the largest conglomerate in Malaysia. The company said it detected infections for the first time on November 2 among workers who underwent mandatory pre-flight tests in preparation for returning home.
As the number of infections rose dramatically, the government implemented strict movement controls and ordered the manufacturer to close its affected factories in stages last month, to aid in detection and quarantine.
Workers told Reuters that social distancing during work was difficult to maintain and was not consistently enforced. Bedroom conditions were also often tight, with up to 20 people in some rooms.
‘Safety and well-being’
Last week, the manufacturer said during a financial results call that 94 percent of the workers it examined were now fit to return to work.
Last month, the company temporarily suspended operations at 16 of its factories, with the other 12 operating at reduced capacity after the government ordered a staggered closure of the factories.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and the local community is our top priority to contain the situation and flatten the COVID-19 curve,” Top Glove said at the time.
Shares in Top Glove have soared nearly 310 percent in 2020, but have fallen dramatically from their October high when it discovered coronavirus cases among its workers.
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