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Nearly 900 Bekasi factory workers have tested positive for COVID-19
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West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (right) observes workers undergo rapid COVID-19 tests at a plant in Cikarang, Bekasi regency, West Java, on Sept. 4. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
T
he Bekasi COVID-19 task force has reported that 869 factory workers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak.
Task force member Alamsyah said confirmed cases had been detected in 46 companies following contract-tracing in the area.
The largest industrial COVID-19 infection cluster in the region emerged in a factory owned by Japan-based technology company PT Epson Indonesia.
“[Epson] is the largest cluster, considering that it’s a large company with more than 13,000 employees,” Alamsyah said on Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
He said 369 of the 4,000 samples taken at the factory had been COVID-19 positive.
The factories of South Korea-based electronics firm PT LG Electronics Indonesia and Japan-based manufacturer PT NOK Indonesia were the sources of other significant clusters with 242 cases and 150 cases, respectively.
North Cikarang, South Cikarang, West Cikarang, and Cibitung are home to the largest industrial clusters.
“The transmission area is between the factories and the workers’ residences. Local Puskesmas [community health centers] continue to trace those who have had contact [with people found to have the virus],” Alamsyah said.
He urged companies to strictly supervise employees’ compliance with health protocols, both in and outside of the workplace.
“[Transmission] needs to be controlled to prevent carriers from spreading the virus in the workplace,” Alamsyah added.
Bekasi Private Hospital Association head Eko Nugroho previously said the region was running out of available intensive care facilities at its COVID-19 referral hospitals.
He said 48 of the 57 ICU beds in the city were occupied as of Sept. 15 as the number of COVID-19 patients who needed intensive care, including those who required ventilators, was fluctuating.
As of Tuesday, the region had reported 1,483 confirmed COVID-19 cases. (rfa)
