17 workers get Covid, pharma firm shuts plant in Ankleshwar

Confirming that 17 workers tested positive till Tuesday, District Collector MD Modhiya said, “The first batch of workers tested positive on Saturday, after which the plant was asked to be closed for seven days. Other employees are also being tested for Covid-19. They have about 11 plants in Ankleshwar GIDC area. The plant that has been closed manufactures drugs for tuberculosis.”

The other plants of the company, which is a major exporter of drugs to markets in North America, Europe and Asia, are functional, Modhiya said.

A representative of Lupin pharma confirmed that the company has received the order of the district administration and is complying with the government protocols.Officials of the Bharuch district administration said that the health department has been conducting a surveillance in pharmaceutical companies, which have seen a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases since the easing of the curbs.

“It is primarily because people are traveling from these companies to affected areas like Surat and Ahmedabad as part of their work,” an official said adding that another pharmaceutical company has also been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but not at a large scale that could call for closure of a unit.