As COVID-19 is significantly affecting Brazil, workers at its ports are starting to fall ill. As of now, at least three privately-run terminals have registered two cases each of COVID-19 in the past two weeks.
As Bloomberg reports, citing Chief Executive Officer Antonio Carlos Sepulveda, container terminal operator Santos Brasil had one worker test positive this week.
The infections have not restricted operations yet, but the terminals are fighting to contain the outbreak.
Namely, one of the terminals is applying strict social-distancing measures, along with a contingency plan that includes bringing in outsourced workers if absenteeism among its 500-strong staff puts operations at risk.
COVID-19 is also threatening the other side of the Santos port. Specifically, two container ships that arrived at Santos are in quarantine with confirmed cases of COVID-19 among their crews.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, 17 crew members of ships passing through the port needed medical assistance for respiratory conditions, 13 of whom tested positive for the virus.
Currently, large cities in Brazil have instituted strict lockdowns, while the city of Sao Paulo is clamping down on automobile travel and Rio de Janeiro is extending quarantines.
In the city of Santos, the city of the port, the number of cases and deaths have increased with intensive care units almost full at about 80%.
