Construction work of Vivo facility stopped

New Delhi: Vivo, India's No. 2 smartphone brand, has stopped construction work at its industrial park at Greater Noida after two people working there tested Covid-19 positive. The development comes a day after rival Oppo had to shut its manufacturing plant in the same area after nine of its employees tested positive for coronavirus.

"The company (Vivo) had got 18 employees tested in Healthians Lab, Gurgaon, out of which 16 negative and two positive have been declared. The company has voluntarily shut down its operations, for the time being, the incident commander has orders for the sealing of specific area of the premises and sanitation process is underway," according to a health bulletin by Gautam Budh Nagar released on Monday evening.

China’s Vivo, however, clarified that the incident took place at the industrial park, which is the construction site of its new factory and the location was being completely managed by a thirdparty construction company. “No Vivo employee has tested positive till date and we are taking all precautionary measures adhering to all government guidelines,” a Vivo spokesperson told ET.


The spokesperson added that Vivo’s current operational factory is 15 km away from the construction site, and is running at 30% of its capacity as per the norms stated by Greater Noida authorities. Vivo India was allotted a 169-acre land parcel by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Authority, Greater Noida. It is planning to invest `7,500 crore over the next few years to sharply expand its production capacities, initially for the India market and later for exports.