Two employees Sanjay Sapkal and Vitthal Sawant had underlying conditions of hypertension and diabetes and hence succumbed to the infection

Bajaj Auto Limited resumed operations at their plant in Waluj, Aurangabad, towards the end April 2020. Production was ramped up as restrictions were lifted. But there was always the risk of employees getting infected with the virus. On 6th June, first case of Covid-19 positive was reported by Bajaj Waluj plant.

Now, about 20 days later, the number of positive cases at the Bajaj Waluj plant has climbed to more than 200, reports Live Mint. Of these, 2 employees have succumbed to the pandemic. The two employees, Sanjay Sapkal and Vitthal Sawant, also had some underlying conditions of hypertension and diabetes making them more vulnerable to the virus. Sapkal was working on the engine assembly line at the company’s motorcycle division while Savant was on the three wheeler assembly line.

Following the incident, the company has informed workers that all plant operations will be shut on Saturday and Sunday; with the exception of exports, dispatch and spares department. The two days break will be utilized to sanitize the entire plant. Normal operations would commence from Monday.

Bajaj Auto Waluj plant had resumed operations from the third week of April 2020 following the easing of the lockdown. During the period 24th April to 6th June there were no cases of COVID-19 reported within the plant which has been running in two shifts. All workers were administered two round of the homeopathy medicines by the company management as prevention against the virus.

Following the first case which was reported on June 6, the company took all necessary steps of testing, contact tracing and self isolation as per protocol. The entire plant was sanitized and adherence to these measures is strictly monitored by the company’s health and security staff.

Though there were initial reports that the company had shut down the plant, Bajaj Auto confirms that they continue to run normal business operations while taking stringent safety measures. The company produces the Bajaj RE brand of three wheelers, the Platina, CT100 and Qute from the Waluj plant in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Bajaj Auto also has two other facilities in Chakan (Maharashtra) and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), but the Aurangabad plant is the largest.

Bajaj stated, “We continue to provide all support including medical assistance to affected employees. We at Bajaj Auto, like the country at large, are now learning to live with the virus. We will continue our normal business operations, while taking all necessary safety measures, as the alternative is to shut down our operations with ‘no work no pay’ which will have a drastic impact on our employees and supply chain.”