TEMPO.CO, Batam - A total of 150 Chinese workers arrived in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province, today, October 2, 2020. They were employed at local aluminum firm PT Bintan Alumina Indonesia (BAI).

The workers, boarding Qingdao Airlines, landed at the Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport (RHF) Tanjungpinang at 2:20 p.m. The company’s health officers wearing complete personal protective equipment (PPE) welcomed them upon their arrival.

Based on Tempo's observation, the workers, who donned casual clothes, immediately underwent a health screening managed by PT BAI near the airport.

The Head of Tanjungpinang Class II Port Health, Agus Jamaluddin, said that this was the third wave of arrivals of Chinese employees. The first batch, he recalled, was in last August amounting to 340 people, and the second batch in early September with 150 people. “They will work at PT BAI,” said Agus before media reporters at the RHF Tanjungpinang Airport.

He added that the health protocols against COVID-19 were applied as in the previous arrivals. The foreign workers also presented their rapid test results from China. Even though their test results were negative, they were still obliged to undergo health screenings, such as interviews, body temperature checks, and fill out the Health Alert Cards (HAC).

Before starting the work, the Chinese workers must also undergo quarantine in the company’s residential facility. Agus ensured that they would be under monitoring of the Bintan Health Agency and PT BAI’s medical team.

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