A Petrobras employee tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, the first case of the pandemic virus at Brazilian state-controlled oil company.
The employee, whose identity was not disclosed, was travelling abroad on holidays and discovered they had the virus before returning to work at Petrobras headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
“He was not at the company’s facilities after the contagion. The employee is in good health, at home and being monitored by Petrobras health teams,” the company said in a statement.
Following the confirmation of the first case of Covid-19 at one of its employees, Petrobras suspended all travel abroad, including all scheduled training. Trips in Brazil will only be permitted if deemed a priority.
“Employees returning from trips abroad will work from home for seven days. Employees returning from countries with high contagion risk must remain at home for 14 days as an additional safety measure,” the company said.
Petrobras is also adopting strict measures to ensure the safety of all personnel working on board offshore facilities.
At all airports, Petrobras is checking the temperature of its collaborators before embarking on helicopter flights to production platforms.
Employees in a riskier situation, including those with more than 65 years, with chronic lung disease and with low immunity will be allowed to work from home. The same rule will be applied for parents with children in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo where schools were temporarily suspended.
“The company will also suspend events and face-to-face meetings with more than 20 people and will give preference to online meetings,” Petrobras added.
