TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bekasi administration in West Java confirmed that there had been 19 factory workers working in the same plant located in the regency that had been exposed to COVID-19. The local government assured that the factory had been temporarily closed and undergone a complete disinfection process.

“The factory had been closed since Monday,” said the Bekasi Regency COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Alamsyah, on Wednesday.

Despite not naming the specific factory that was closed, he only revealed that it is located in the Bekasi area of Cikarang and confirmed that the infection was due to one worker that was exposed to the virus and eventually infected 18 others. “As of now, there are 19 labor workers [who were infected],” said Alamsyah.

800 of the factory workers were initially subjected to a mass COVID-19 swab test after the area’s task force team tested one labor worker who was ill and eventually confirmed that the person was coronavirus-positive.

The Cikarang factory has now become a new cluster for the spread of COVID-19 in the area.

“All of the workers [who tested positive] are already under quarantine right now,” he said.

Prior to this in April, two factories in Bekasi were forced to close as its workers had been exposed to the virus. However, activities at the factories have now returned to normal.

ADI WARSONO (CONTRIBUTOR)