26 Petrobras Employees Working in Urucu, Amazonas, Show Symptoms of the New Coronavirus

Amid the risk of contamination by the new coronavirus, professionals considered essential by Petrobras, working in the extraction and production of natural gas in the Urucu Oil Province in Amazonas, face the need to be taken into isolation, away from their families, on a floor of the Taj Mahal hotel in Manaus, if they show symptoms. During the pandemic, Petrobras announces the sale of the Papa-Terra oil field in the Campos Basin, RJ.

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According to the Union of Oil Industry Workers (Sindipetro Amazônia), representing the states of Pará, Amazonas, Maranhão, and Amapá, 26 Petrobras employees who were working in Urucu and showed symptoms of the new coronavirus were taken to Manaus.

Of these, five employees were diagnosed with the new coronavirus; one employee is intubated in a private hospital, while the others await test results.

For Sindipetro, there is negligence on the part of Petrobras, which initially provided employees with low-quality accommodation in Manaus and did not assist those who disembarked with symptoms of the coronavirus, isolating them from others.

“Unfortunately, Petrobras did not take the necessary measures in time, and now we are experiencing an outbreak of cases. Dozens of workers have already disembarked and are now confined in the hotel in the Amazonian capital. The company’s management has made it difficult for the union to access information, so we decided to take this complaint to the media and public authorities so that some type of intervention can be made in this dramatic situation,” said Sindipetro Manaus.

In order to prevent the contagion and spread of the new coronavirus, the work schedule in Urucu, which was previously 14×21 days, has been adjusted to include an additional seven days of quarantine in a hotel before boarding. According to Sindipetro, these seven days serve as a type of preliminary quarantine before boarding for the worksite, followed by 21 days of work and 14 days off.

Despite this, the union questions the lack of testing during the boarding and disembarking of oil workers, the Petrobras’s omission regarding the number of suspected and confirmed cases, and potential salary reductions by the state-owned company.

Measures Implemented by Petrobras to Combat the Coronavirus

Petrobras assures that it has implemented a series of proactive actions and preventive measures for its employees.

• The company has reduced the workforce in operational units to the minimum necessary for safe operation in essential activities and has reinforced cleaning and guidelines for safe distancing among individuals, even in cafeterias
• In addition to proactive monitoring by health professionals, employees have access to a 24-hour channel to report any symptoms. Those who show any symptoms during this period are tested and do not board. Those aboard who show any symptoms are evaluated by the dedicated medical team and, if classified as a suspected case, are disembarked. Also disembarked, tested, and monitored are employees who had close contact (the so-called contacts).
• In cases where the health condition requires it, the employee is referred directly to the health system

by- A Crítica