Covid-19 outbreak forces closure of Belgian factory of the world’s largest brewer – Observer

One of the main factories of the world’s largest beer producer, AB InBev, has been shut down since Thursday due to the discovery of an outbreak of infection with the new coronavirus, a union source said on Friday. This is the Jupille-sur-Meuse factory, near Liége (eastern Belgium), a municipality that inspired the name of Jupiler, one of the brewer’s giant’s best-known brands.

Nine employees tested positive for the new coronavirus in the last eight days and one of them is hospitalized in a “critical condition”, France Presse Patrick Rehan, of the FGTB socialist union, told the agency, criticizing the leadership for having “delayed” taking appropriate measures. “The place has been closed since yesterday (Thursday)”, said the union leader.

The outbreak was discovered in the logistics and transportation department, which has a hundred employees out of a total of 750 at the factory.

At a meeting this Friday with representatives of the group’s management, union officials asked the leaders to be removed, according to Rehan. Questioned by AFP, the administration did not respond.

The FGTB indicated that a hundred factory employees was tested since Thursday.

Belgian brewing multinational AB InBev also manufactures brands such as Stella Artois, Corona or Budweiser, in addition to dozens of others locally. Jupiler gives its name to the Belgian football championship for sponsorship reasons.

Belgium is one of the European countries most affected by Covid-19 in absolute numbers. Today’s data from the authorities account for 86,544 infected and 9,899 dead, which reveals one of the highest mortality rates in the world in relation to the population of about 11.5 million inhabitants.

The Covid-19 pandemic, transmitted by a new coronavirus detected in late December in China, has already caused at least 863,679 deaths and infected more than 26 million people worldwide, according to a report by the agency France Presse.

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