Malaysia’s largest gloves manufacturing company, where thousands have contracted the coronavirus, has confirmed the first death of its employee due to COVID-19.
Nepali security guard Yam Narayan Chaudhary, 29, who was on duty at one of Top Glove’s factories in Meru, Klang, died on Saturday, three weeks after testing positive on Nov. 21. It is the company’s first reported death ever since some of its factories and surrounding worker dormitories at Jalan Teratai became the biggest coronavirus cluster in the country with 5,147 cases.
“Top Glove offers our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased and is working with the authorities for Mr. Yam’s burial arrangements,” the company said in a statement today. Top Glove hired Yam two years ago.
Just last week, the company told reporters that most of their staff were ready to return to work, adding that 94% have recovered from the virus after receiving treatment.
Yam’s death came after Top Glove allegedly fired a whistleblower for leaking photos of night shift workers crowding outside one of the factories’ entrances in May. Employee Yubaraj Khadka, 27, said he had sent the photos to British migrant workers’ rights activist Andy Hall before being terminated and deported back to that country on Sep. 23.
Malaysia has reported 83,475 COVID-19 cases and 415 deaths since February.
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