Employees work at Taiwanese-invested footwear maker Pouyuen
in HCMC, June 10, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tuyet. 

Covid-19 related problems have forced more than 33,000 workers of Taiwanese-invested footwear maker Pouyuen Vietnam to temporarily stop working. 

Cu Phat Nghiep, head of the firm’s labor union, said Monday that nearly 10,000 workers living in HCMC's neighboring province of Long An could not come to the factory to work due to local authorities' "travel pass" regulations. Neighboring localities have required all commuters from HCMC to be Covid-19 free, get the required tests and clearance.

The same reason had previously caused more than 3,500 workers from southern provinces of Tien Giang and Ben Tre to take a break from work. All these workers typically commute in the company’s shuttle buses.

In addition, nearly 20,000 workers have had to temporarily stop working after coming into contact with confirmed Covid-19 cases and having to quarantine themselves at home. Some workers have decided to quit.

Nghiep said the factory's production was being disrupted because too many workers were unable to come to work.

Pouyuen Vietnam has about 56,000 employees and is HCMC’s biggest employer. According to a report by the city's health officials, Pouyuen had detected 35 Covid-19 cases as of July 4.

HCMC currently has 1.6 million factory workers. In the fourth Covid-19 wave, many factories detected dozens of infections and had to stop production. The Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor said that as of July 7, more than 1,800 workers had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.