April 3, 2003 – Singapore – Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. is prepared to temporarily shut down production lines in the immediate vicinity of any staff exposed to the deadly flu-like virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

The world’s third largest contract chipmaker said none of its staff has been affected with SARS, which has been sweeping through parts of the region, reported Dow Jones.

“In the event that an employee is affected (Chartered) will take the necessary measures to shut down the affected area for one shift for the purpose of thorough disinfection and operations will resume subsequently,” said company spokeswoman Maggie Tan.

The chipmaker, which has four of its operational wafer fabrication plants clustered on one site in north Singapore, said it is looking into other ways to ensure production continuity, including shifting production to another factory.

“If necessary, Chartered is also able to mobilize resources within the campus to minimize any disruption to production,” the spokeswoman said.

“We have taken all precautionary measures to minimize the possibility of infection among our employees and have taken steps to ensure hygiene is maintained at the highest levels,” she added.