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One of the main factories of the world’s largest beer producer, AB InBev, has been closed since Thursday due to the discovery of an outbreak of infection with the new coronavirus, a union source said on Friday. It is the Jupille-sur-Meuse factory, near Liége (eastern Belgium), the municipality that inspired the name of Jupiler, one of the beer giant’s best-known brands.
Nine employees tested positive for the new coronavirus in the last eight days and one of them has been hospitalized in “critical condition”, Patrick Rehan of the socialist union FGTB told France Presse agency, criticizing the management for having “delayed” taking the appropriate measures. . “The place has been closed since yesterday (Thursday),” said the union leader.
The outbreak was discovered in the logistics and transportation department, which has a hundred employees out of a total of 750 at the factory.
In a meeting on Friday with representatives of the group’s leadership, the union leaders called for the removal of the leaders, according to Rehan. Questioned by AFP, the administration did not respond.
The FGTB indicated that 100 factory employees were tested since Thursday.
The Belgian multinational beer company AB InBev also manufactures brands such as Stella Artois, Corona or Budweiser, in addition to dozens of others locally. Jupiler names the Belgian soccer championship for sponsorship reasons.
Belgium is one of the European countries most affected by Covid-19 in absolute numbers. Today’s data from the authorities account for 86,544 infected and 9,899 deaths, which reveals one of the highest mortality rates in the world in relation to the population of about 11.5 million inhabitants.
The Covid-19 pandemic, transmitted by a new coronavirus detected in late December in China, has already caused at least 863,679 deaths and infected more than 26 million people worldwide, according to a report by the agency France Presse.
