Earlier this month, the Indian government allowed companies to resume manufacturing with adequate social distancing norms in place. Following this announcement, OPPO was among the first smartphone brands to restart production of its smartphones in India. Its factory at Greater Noida was reopened earlier this month on May 8th, following weeks of being shut due to the nationwide lockdown.
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However, the brand has now suspended operations at its manufacturing plant once again, after several of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. Notably, OnePlus smartphones are also assembled at the same facility.
OPPO suspends operations at Greater Noida plant after COVID-19 outbreak
OPPO is currently testing all employees at the plant for COVID-19
At least six OPPO employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday i.e. May 17th. Following the news, the brand has ceased all operations at the plant. As of now, the brand is testing all its employees at the facility. It is not confirmed when manufacturing will resume.
In an emailed statement to Pricebaba, OPPO India said, “OPPO had obtained permission from the state authorities to resume production, following the MHA directive. As an organization that places the safety of all our employees and citizens at the forefront, we had not only undertaken COVID-19 tests for all employees at the manufacturing facility in Greater Noida but also suspended all operations at the plant. We are undertaking stringent measures to keep the employees safe.”
OPPO had earlier stated that the Noida factory would be operating at 30 percent capacity, with only 3,000 of its total workforce of 10,000 employees working on a rotational basis. As per the brand, all OPPO products sold in India are manufactured at the plant.
OnePlus 8 series will go on sale as planned
As mentioned earlier, OnePlus also uses the same plant to assemble its products in India. However, the company stated that the closure at the OPPO plant would not affect the availability of its upcoming OnePlus 8 series phones, which are scheduled to go on sale starting May 29th.
“The health and wellbeing of our employees, partners and contractors remains our top priority. We are closely monitoring the current situation while ensuring necessary measures are being implemented in accordance with the Government’s instructions. In line with our recent sale announcements for the OnePlus 8 series 5G, we are moving forward with our sales schedule as planned,” a OnePlus spokesperson told Pricebaba.