ESG Spotlight | Pandemic 😷
Accton ESG Committee
My Days Fighting the Epidemic at Accton’s Zhunan Plant
(The author of this article is Jackal Lee, Senior Vice President of Accton Product Supply & Demand. Li Xunde is currently in charge of Accton’s Sales and Production Manufacturing. This article is his first-line leadership and anti-epidemic journey within Accton Zhunan Plant over the past two weeks. It was originally shared within Accton, but with the consent of the author himself, he hopes to share the learning experience gained by the Accton team during this period of time with more people by reprinting and publishing the full text. He also hopes that this will inspire more thinking. In the days to come, what kind of mentality should we use to face the changes brought about by the pandemic?)
Since the outbreak of the new wave of COVID-19 in Taiwan in early May, I have been stationed in Zhunan Plant. I didn’t feel much difference at first. We were used to the days without the epidemic, and we never thought that the virus was so close to us, let alone that the virus was actually among us. That’s why at that time, someone would even say: “Check us out, world. We Taiwanese will only demonstrate once, and the level 3 alert will be lifted within two weeks.” Yes, we were all so confident that we could keep the virus out.
In the beginning, the staff at our plant began to take turns coming to the office and working from home during the pandemic. As long as an employee has been in contact with a diagnosed person or family member and has a slight fever, the company will provide paid leave for anyone needing to isolate at home to avoid risks. At that time, we naively thought that by doing this, the plant/company would be safe, and the employees would not have to worry about anything. What we didn’t know is that the virus was already at the door, and the test for us was about to begin.
May 26 was a critical turning point. An employee of the SMT production line reported a mild fever. There was no doubt that our arrangement for him was to “just work from home”. Our self-righteous thought at the time was, “Look, we kept him out for just catching a cold. How strict can we be?” It’s kind of ridiculous and pathetic looking back now because we didn’t even know the virus had arrived.
On May 29, the feverish employee who was resting at home went to see a doctor at Wei Gong Memorial Hospital. The hospital asked him to do a PCR test because there were already confirmed cases at another company at the time.
On May 31, we found an employee in the production line whose boyfriend was working at said company. Her boyfriend was working on the same floor as the diagnosed patient, and they would gather during holidays. Our employee met with them often, so she must be quarantined. We immediately sent her to the quarantine dormitory in Hukou for quarantine as originally planned.
When I think about it now, what we did at that time was similar to “plug one’s ears while stealing a bell”. We thought it would be okay if we just quarantined people, but we didn’t know at that time that a bigger storm was waiting for us.
We originally arranged for disinfection every Sunday, but because there was no arrangement on the previous Sunday, it was postponed until May 31. It was such a coincidence that when the disinfection company arrived, the PCR report of the SMT staff with fever also came out. I received a call at 5: 14 pm informing me that the staff had been diagnosed with the disease. It was completely unacceptable to me. I thought it could never happen, and I was naive enough to think that the report from Wei Gong Memorial Hospital might have been wrong. Now looking back, I was so ignorant, so ridiculous, and so little aware of the virus.
Because the disinfection of the plant and the confirmed diagnosis happened on the same day, many people thought that it was because of the confirmed diagnosis that we arranged for the disinfection. To clarify, this was not the case, everything was a coincidence and just happened at the same time. On that day, not surprisingly, the news of the confirmed case at Accton Zhunan Plant and factory disinfection were sent to the public, but there were plenty of errors and false information. I understood that people are terrified of unknown things, and fear would create more hearsay and rumors. That’s why transparency of information is very important.
On June 1, I was still discussing the infection route of the first confirmed employee of Accton with the cadre of the factory. At that time, we still thought that he was infected outside, but what we couldn’t figure out was that this employee had a normal working schedule, and his family’s daily routine was also quite normal. There was no way for us to figure out the possible cause.
It was also on this same day that the panic among the employees began to spread. For example, the cleaning staff on the 5th floor went home as soon as she heard the news. The news reports were too scary. Almost as if you would get infected by passing by the confirmed case. However, many people, including myself, were actually as scared and panicked as the cleaning staff, because we were fighting against the unknown and ignorance, and we all know little about this virus. On June 1, to reassure everyone, we also decided to let all the employees of Zhunan Plant do the rapid test. We thought that it was safe if the rapid test came out negative. However, looking back, that was not the case.
On June 2, we were informed that our employee’s boyfriend who worked at a different company tested positive. We urgently arranged for her to do a PCR test and began to prepare to trace potential contacts. The manpower of SMT has been reduced because the potential contacts have been quarantined. As a result, some production lines have been suspended, leaving only the main lines open. At 11:57 p.m., Zhiqiao called me and said that today a major electronics factory has reported more than 100 confirmed cases. I was at a loss because I knew that if they had more than 100 positives, it would be very difficult for Accton not to be affected.
On June 3, our employee was confirmed with a CT value of 36, meaning that she may be asymptomatically infected, and it’s also possible that she has been infected for some time and was about to recover. The relevant identification of potential contacts still had to be carried out. When the first employee was diagnosed, 22 people were identified as potential contacts; when the second case was confirmed, 36 people were identified, and a total of 44 people were identified after deducting overlapping ones. We decided to suspend the SMT line on the first floor and focus on the main line on the 5th floor. After the rapid test finished on June 4, we allow those who tested negative to come back to work. At that point, we were still thinking about how to open the production line, but undeniably, we also noticed that the panic among employees was continuing to expand. Some employees were already taking time off from work, or their families were not letting them come to work.
On June 4, Accton Zhunan Plant started performing rapid tests. The first batch of 233 people was tested. Seven people tested positive in the morning and another three in the afternoon. A total of 10 people (1 Taiwanese and 9 foreigners) tested positive that day. I saw a piece of a news report from the previous day that 314 students of the Chinese Cultural University have done the rapid test, and 14 of them tested positive. However, all of them tested negative from the PCR test, I was a little comforted that: “We should be the same case. All these rapid test results might be false positives.”
In order to reassure our employees, we arranged for the plant to be temporarily suspended for disinfection on June 5 and June 6 (Saturday and Sunday). Fortunately, we made this decision on that day. In retrospect, it was very correct. The PCR report came out at 11:09 that night, and all 10 people were positive. I knew immediately that the virus had spread in the factory. I couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about what to do next.
On June 5, I called and discussed with the factory cadres early in the morning. Because the outbreak of the nearby company was among foreign employees and dormitories, I urgently asked Zhiqiao to change the location for rapid tests on June 7 from Zhunan Plant to Dazhi’s dormitory. Now I recalled that it was a very important decision. Shortly after, Commander Wang Pi-Sheng called and made an appointment to meet at Accton Zhunan Plant on the 6th.
It was a rainy day on June 6. I was in the same mood, very worried and very frustrated. Commander Wang Pi-Sheng was originally scheduled to arrive at 10:30 but changed to 1:00 p.m. EBC News has been waiting since 10:30 a.m. to take pictures from afar. Commander Wang Pi-Sheng arrived at the factory early at 12:30. I explained our epidemic prevention measures and proposed actions for the dormitory first. He gave us a positive evaluation and thought that we were going in the right direction. To be honest, I didn’t think that Commander Wang helped us much that day, but I misunderstood. As the situation became tenser and tenser, his assistance and advice were like timely rain. Without his help, I didn’t think the outbreak of the epidemic in Accton could have been controlled so quickly.
On June 7, we conducted a rapid test in the Dazhi foreign employee dormitory, which was the place we were most worried about and considered the highest risk. It turned out to be true.
Four people tested positive that morning, and we thought it was alright. However, later in the afternoon, 17 people tested positive, and we knew the epidemic had spread. I kept reporting the situation to Commander Wang, and he also visited the dormitory. Although he didn’t say much on the spot, I only knew later that he did more than he said.
I was very grateful for the support team that was on the scene that day. A total of 11 people participated, including Jian Lun, Prince Sea, Jun Yuan, and Song Wei from the factory, Mark and Claire from HR, Aki from Admin, Minzhong from Occupational Safety, Min Jie, and Jiaxin. Everyone was under a lot of pressure. I believe they were also very scared, but they all stayed with me on the scene without hesitation and stayed in Dazhi’s dormitory for a whole day under the sun. Before departure, we had a tacit understanding and a commitment to each other that “no one could be infected”. We wanted to let our staff know that our team members were the ones contacted with the most confirmed cases in Accton, but as long as we protected ourselves well, the virus was actually not that scary.
On June 8, we started with the rapid tests for local employees. A total of 6 people tested positive. I would also expect that those were false positives. However, for the 21 positives from the rapid test on June 7, there were 20 reported PCR positives, so I knew the chances were low.
At noon, seeing my colleagues who tested positive for rapid tests waiting under the shed to be sent to the quarantine hotel, I was very sad because we did not take good care of them. I gave them the lunch boxes one by one, and then Minzhong took them back after they finished one by one. There was always staff checking if they need water or anything else. We tried to make our colleagues feel that they were not alone. The company will always accompany them through this period, and we wanted to let others know that although the virus is frightful, as long as you protect yourself well, you can keep the threat of the virus away.
On June 9, it was the last day for rapid tests in the Zhunan Plant. I was still in a tense state. I was not only worried about Zhunan but also worried about the Filipino employees from the Hsinchu Plant. We have been counting on the production capacity of the Hsinchu Plant during this period. Fortunately, 136 Filipino employees in 7 buses were all negative from the rapid test and all the employees in the Accton Hsinchu Plant tested negative. On the same day, all the rapid test results from Zhunan Plant were negative. For the first time in the past 10 days, “good news” appeared.
However, I was fully aware that the crisis had not yet passed. Six employees who reported positive from the rapid test on June 8 were also confirmed to be positive from the PCR test. As of June 8, the number of confirmed cases was 40 in Accton, including 3 Taiwanese and 37 Filipino. On the 8, all the staff who supported the rapid test process also did PCR tests, and they were all negative, including myself.
Commander Wang Pi-Sheng also paid an official visit to Accton Zhunan Plant and gave us some suggestions. The greatest help he offered was to assist us in bringing nearly 500 of our Filipino employees to stay at the collective quarantine sites between June 8 and 9 which allowed us to control the situation and avoid the spread of the epidemic. We followed up on the condition of the Filipino colleagues who were relocated, from June 9 to June 14, there were still people with symptoms, and some were diagnosed positive.
In addition, I was included in one of Commander Wang’s Facebook posts on that day. I became part of the record of Taiwan’s warfighting epidemic in another form, and I was not alone. The whole team of the Accton Plant was supporting me.
On June 10, I finally had the chance to sort out the knowledge I learned from the chaos during this period. In the afternoon, the pandemic prevention doctor and staff from the Industrial Development Bureau visited, and I also learned a lot from them. I was eager to find out the answers to the questions I’ve been having from the previous period, such as the conditions and interval for identifying potential contacts, reducing the density of staff, reducing the risk of infection, etc. In the end, I even asked them what to do with our dog at home if both the husband and wife were diagnosed. The pandemic prevention doctor was very professional and gave us a lot of practical procedures, which were very helpful to us.
On June 11, after discussing with the pandemic prevention doctor the day before, the factory cadres could formulate some project practices, such as standards for identifying potential contacts, reward systems, and quarantine guidelines, so that everyone could better understand what to do next. We have also decided to do the PCR test for all of our staff on June 16 to make sure that everyone was safe. The PCR testing fee for one person is NT$5,000 to 7,000, so testing the entire staff would cost NT$5 million. This was necessary for us because this was not only for our employees but also for their families. We wanted to make sure that everyone could be at ease.
I would like to share with you my thoughts on the past two weeks. In the past two weeks, I have been in direct and indirect contact with nearly 50 confirmed cases. I admitted that at first, like everyone else, I felt that “as long as you pass by, you will be infected”, “as long as you touched them, you will be infected”, and “as long as you are in the same place, you will be infected”. Every morning before I left my house, I would have to “say a final farewell to my wife” like Lin Jue Min and tell my wife the code to my safe. I felt that even though I haven’t gotten “pneumonia”, it seemed like I have already been “henpecked”.
However, as I learned more about how COVID-19 spread, I found that what news reported may only apply under special conditions. According to the conditions of confirmed colleagues which we have been closely checking on for the past two weeks, most of them were asymptomatic, and only a few of them would have a cough, fever, sore throat, etc., which were all very mild. Even for confirmed infections, with timely medical treatment, they would not become too serious. The first confirmed colleague actually was discharged from the hospital and went home to recover last week. It has been less than two weeks since he was diagnosed and hospitalized.
During the process, as I learned a little more about the situation every day, I gradually felt that I was no longer so fearful and anxious, and I began to truly appreciate what the so-called “being with the virus” was like. Wearing masks, washing hands frequently, disinfecting with alcohol, etc. are all things we have known for more than a year. As long as these basic things are done well, it is really not as scary as we imagined. Protect ourselves well, so the virus has no chance to invade our lives.
If a person is unfortunately infected, there is no need to panic, and 90% of people can recover from the disease without any side effects. And at Accton, we do not need to worry, because the company will take care of us. Accton’s kindness to its employees makes them worry-free so that they can live a happy and secure life, even more so in the midst of an epidemic.
You probably may still be afraid and do not want to come to the company, but in fact, when you think about it, the virus is everywhere, many things are not to escape, the only choice is to face it, learn how to manage it, to come out of the predicament, no one can help you overcome the pressure in your heart, only you can. On June 14, day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Ken and I went out again to complete a task: help our colleagues at the clinic take their dogs to the pet hotel. Is it a scary thing to walk into a diagnosed person’s home? For many people, yes, and naturally too for both of us, but we can’t let our diagnosed colleagues worry about their dogs, it’s the right thing to do, so we did it, provided, of course, that we were well protected.
Finally, is the fight against the pandemic over? I don’t think so, in fact, it has just started. In my opinion, the epidemic will improve in the next 6-12 months, but it will not end. It will be difficult to go back to the life we used to live because there are too many asymptomatic or mild cases. I suggest that we treat everyone and every object we touch as if it was touched by a diagnosed person and use this principle to protect ourselves. You may ask me, “So you won’t get it? Of course not, there is always a chance of infection, just as there is a need to achieve 100% yield in the production line. But when a diagnosis is really confirmed, we should be able to prepare ourselves to face it. At Accton, you will not be alone, everyone will be with you through it. In addition, if there are vaccines available people should get it. The vaccine will not necessarily make you immune, but it will allow you to avoid the risk of serious illness, like the flu.
There are so many people I am thankful for in the last ten days or so. Many people knew about our situation, and they offered help through various channels. For me, each assistance made me appreciate the warmth and kindness of Taiwan, and I sincerely thank all those who supported us and helped us.
Lextar, which is located in the same building as Accton’s Zhunan Plant, was like our community of life during this period. Director Feng Wen-Zheng of Lextar, Thai Wen, and Henk continued to share many practices with us and built stronger epidemic prevention capabilities together. Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-Chien immediately arranged to help us once he knew about our difficulties to find quarantine hotels and rapid tests and solved our most urgent needs. And I would also like to thank the Town Mayor of Zhunan Township, Fang Jin-Xing, for his help, so that our employees and families, as well as all the residents of Zhunan Township, have been well taken care of during this epidemic.
I would like to thank Vice President Zhuang Shu-Ting of Tzu Chi Hospital, as well as many Tzu Chi sisters and brothers. Once they knew that we needed rapid tests, they came to teach us the operation method of rapid tests right away. Later when they knew that we were going to do PCR testing for all factory employees, they also immediately got organized and arranged to conduct the PCR test for all our staff on June 16. Through my cooperation with Tzu Chi over the past few days, I found that the Tzu Chi team’s intentions, attitude, and enthusiasm are worth learning from. Even if the time was tight, everything was still very organized.
Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Commander Wang Pi-Sheng, as well as the pandemic prevention doctors Chen Wan-Qing and Mu Han (I’m sorry that I only knew the names of these two doctors) for their help. Without them, this outbreak would not have been controlled so quickly. At least for now we are in a controllable situation. Because of their experience and suggestions, coupled with the stricter awareness of epidemic prevention among all our employees, we will definitely win this battle against the epidemic.
I would also like to say to all my colleagues in Accton, “I’m sorry that I made everyone worry.” However, after this experience of fighting against the pandemic, our team is working more closely together, and our team spirit is getting stronger, which gives us more confidence to face the test of the future. Thanks to the gods, bosses, all supervisors, and all the excellent employees of Accton. From the beginning to the present, many colleagues still come to the company to fight with us every day. I know they are under a lot of pressure and also very worried, but they still come and work hard with everyone. I would also like to thank the big family of Accton. Accton is a very special company. In normal times, we may not feel much, but in the most difficult times, the humanistic care culture of Accton has played a very important role. We are all in the big family of Accton. We are a family. When we encounter difficulties, we will face them and get through them together.
As for my own health condition, I have been protecting myself well over the past 2 weeks and have also done the PCR test. I have not been infected, at least not yet at this time. I will continue to work hard to protect myself, and I hope I can proudly say in the future: “I learned to deal with the virus, I won this fight against COVID-19!”
