On Friday, May 1, two workers on the PXA-1 offshore platform owned by Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras checked into the facility's ...
On Friday, May 1, two workers on the PXA-1 offshore platform owned by Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras checked into the facility's infirmary complaining of headaches and fever-like symptoms.
The three workers and Paolo Valterson, the local union's health director, questioned why the workers were not evacuated to the nearby city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil until four days after the first ones exhibited symptoms. They were quarantined in a hotel in the city for 15 days, according to Valterson.
The company, formally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA, confirmed that a coronavirus outbreak had occurred on the PXA-1 platform, but did not disclose the number of infections. In a previously undisclosed development, two major oil platforms that are owned by Japanese firm Modec Inc and produce oil for Petrobras - the Cidade de Mangaritiba and the Cidade de Angra dos Reis - stopped work in May due to coronavirus outbreaks, ANP told Reuters.
Those who work on offshore oil rigs are particularly susceptible to coming down with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, because they are aboard for weeks at a time and work, sleep and eat in close contact with one another. Workers also have accused Petrobras of failing until early June to implement universal testing for workers departing to offshore facilities. Union officials consulted by Reuters were particularly irked the firm had donated 600,000 test kits to the federal and state governments by late April, according to company statements, even as union officials had demanded pre-departure tests as early as March, according to correspondence seen by Reuters.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Brazil sees 631 new coronavirus deaths, approaches 2 million casesBrazil, the world's No. 2 coronavirus hot spot after the United States, registered 631 new deaths on Sunday, with a new total of 1,864,681 ...
Read more »
Indonesia military academy hit by coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 1,300 testing positiveBANDUNG, INDONESIA (AFP) - Nearly 1,300 people at a military academy in Indonesia have tested positive for the coronavirus, an official said, as the country struggles to contain the epidemic.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Safety first for Spaniards voting amid new coronavirus outbreaksBILBAO, SPAIN (REUTERS) - Voters in northern Spain wore face masks and used hand sanitiser gel before entering polling stations on Sunday (July 12) as Galicia and the Basque Country held regional elections while fighting localised outbreaks of Covid-19.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Wife of Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, and her two daughters, negative for coronavirusRIO DE JANEIRO (REUTERS) - Michelle Bolsonaro, the wife of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who is sick with the new coronavirus, said on Saturday (July 11) that she and her two daughters had tested negative for the virus.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Brazil sees 631 new coronavirus deaths, approaches 2 million casesBrazil, the world's No. 2 coronavirus hot spot after the United States, registered 631 new deaths on Sunday, with a new total of 1,864,681 ...
Read more »
Pelosi says Trump 'messing with' children's health on school reopeningsThe federal health guidelines on how US schools can safely reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak - criticised by President Donald Trump as too ...
Read more »