KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 10): Careplus Group Bhd said some workers in its factory at the Senawang Industrial Estate in Negeri Sembilan have tested positive for Covid-19. 

They are now under the care of a government hospital, the glove maker said in a statement. 

“We had immediately taken necessary actions which include closure of the affected factory facilities, to facilitate thorough disinfection and sanitisation in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health (MoH),” the group said.  

When contacted, Careplus executive director and group CEO Lim Kwee Shyan said the group has arranged for all of its 2,000 staff to undergo Covid-19 testing.  

He declined to disclose how many workers have tested positive, saying the information will be released by the relevant authorities. 

Lim said the operations at all its factories have been halted for two days, as they are all located at the same place. 

As a result, the group’s production capacities will be affected during this period, he said, adding he expects production to resume gradually over the next two weeks. 

Meanwhile, Careplus will continue with its glove shipments based on the availability of stocks in the warehouse. 
 
According to Careplus’ 2019 annual report, the group has four factories with an annual total production capacity of 4.1 billion pieces of gloves. 

In its statement, Careplus said it is working closely with MoH to perform contact tracing and is also making the necessary arrangements for employees in close contact with the affected workers, to undergo the swab test.  

“They will be placed on home quarantine, pending their Covid-19 test results,” it stated.   

The group said it has also immediately activated work from home arrangements for all non-critical employees. 
 
“We will continue to work closely with MoH and will adhere to the guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees,” it added. 
 
Careplus shares closed 31 sen or 8.96% lower at RM3.15 today, as glove counters came under selling, following news that Pfizer might be able to start Covid-19 vaccine production next year.
 
At current price, Careplus has a market capitalisation of RM1.73 billion. Some 35.18 million shares were traded.