Taiwan-invested enterprises back at work

At least 52 percent of Taiwan-invested local enterprises have resumed work after the extended Spring Festival holiday, according to Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office, with 41 percent of their employees in post.

Some enterprises in key industries retained some employees in Shanghai during the holiday while some called back out-of-town employees in advance, most of whom have been discharged from isolation and quarantine and are back at work, according to the office.

These include Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City in Songjiang District, which is known for laptop production. It resumed production on February 10 with 20,000 employees, or 66 percent of its total. The five factories of semiconductor enterprise ASE Shanghai have also restarted production with more than 4,500 workers, roughly 55 percent of the total. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co did not stop during the holiday and 75 percent of its employees are currently in post.

Chain stores, agriculture and restaurants have been more severely affected by the epidemic with resumption rates ranging from 15 to 30 percent.

Those remaining closed are waiting for approval to resume work.

The office said Taiwan entrepreneurs and residents are contributing to the efforts in fighting the virus. As of Thursday, they had donated over 50 million yuan (US$7.1 million) yuan in total.

Lee Mao-sheng, honorary chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises in Shanghai, transported 860,000 latex gloves from his factory in Vietnam to China.

Shanghai CIMIC Group has donated 56,400 sanitary towels and disposable underwear and 12,000 packs of disinfectant wipes, as well as 13 electro-cardiscope monitors to medical staff fighting the virus on the frontline in Hubei Province.

Want Want Group has donated food and disinfectants worth about 10 million yuan.

Morita Department Store has donated 100,000 face masks to medical staff in Shanghai. 

Food companies Ichido, 85°C and Ganso have worked overtime to produce food for virus-fighting staff.