During the construction of Intel’s 7nm plant in Ireland, workers have recently been infected, affecting about 70 out of 5,000 people. The manufacturer and the Irish Department of Health are monitoring the situation and have no plans to stop the construction for the time being.
Unlike other projects in the country, this construction was not stopped near Leixlip, as the multi-billion-dollar project is also hugely important for the country. The manufacturer said that additional tests are being carried out on workers on the construction site and that all affected areas have been subjected to thorough cleaning and disinfection.
Furthermore, the spokesperson added: “We are working to support our construction team in every way possible – to understand what has happened in this situation and how it can be addressed with corrective measures”. Contact detection was carried out for all confirmed cases and all other workers potentially exposed had to quarantine themselves.
It is difficult to predict how the on-site outbreak might affect planning. If the building is not ready in time, partners will have to store their production equipment for the factory. This is not easy because tools such as EUV scanners have to be installed by external employees who also have other work for such companies.
