KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): Rice and sago sticks manufacturer Eka Noodles Bhd announced that one of its factories in Sarawak has to temporarily close after some factory workers tested positive for Covid-19. The closure is expected to cause a 10% drop in its total monthly output volume.

The plant is under its wholly-owned subsidiary Kilang Bihun Bersatu (East Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (KBBEM) and located in Sibu. "The affected plant is temporarily closed to carry out disinfection and sanitisation procedures," it said in a bourse filing today.

The affected employees are currently receiving medical treatment at the hospital, while some others have been placed under self-quarantine, it said.

"KBBEM is not a major subsidiary of EKA. The capacity loss arising from the temporary closure of the affected plant is estimated at around 10% of the group’s total monthly output volume," it added.

The company noted that it has another production facility located in East Malaysia, which has so far been operating normally under strict SOPs.

"The temporary closure of the affected plant will affect the group’s revenue and earnings for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2021," Eka Noodles said.

Eka Noodles shares closed unchanged today at six sen per share, valuing the company at RM18.72 million.