According to FOCUS TAIWAN, dozens of migrant workers employed at a printing company in New Taipei and an electronic component manufacturer in Miaoli County have contracted COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said last Thursday (June 3).
CECC official Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said at a press briefing that the CECC has identified two clusters involving mainly migrant workers in the latest virus outbreak in Taiwan.
One of the cluster infections is at King Yuan Electronics Corp.'s (KYEC) Chu-Nan factory in Miaoli, where at least 45 employees have been confirmed with COVID-19 over the past three days, most of whom are migrant workers.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) has expressed concern over the case, saying that the CECC will intervene to help the local health department in its efforts to curb the further spread of the virus.
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FOCUS TAIWAN mentions, KYEC initiated a rapid testing program targeting the 7,300 workers employed at the factory, but had not suspended operations as of press time.
Meanwhile, eight migrant workers employed at a Topcolor Corp printing factory in New Taipei's Zhonghe District have been infected, the city's labor authorities said.
The seven infected workers have been relocated to quarantine facilities, while one is currently isolating himself in a dorm room, the Labor Affairs Bureau (LAB) said.
The factory is closed at present.
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FOCUS TAIWAN says, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said later the same day that all the 49 migrant workers who live in the same dormitory as the infected patient have been tested for the virus and their results came back negative.
Those migrant workers should carry out self-isolation, and if the company cannot find enough space for them to do so, the city government can help relocate them to other quarantine facilities, Hou said at a separate press briefing.
FOCUS TAIWAN writes, Hou warned that the company risks a fine ranging from NT$60,000 (US$2,142) to NT$300,000 and the revocation of its permit to hire migrant workers if its subsequent handling of the case falls short of standards.
