115 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases at Namyangju Factory... Factory Shutdown (Comprehensive)

18 Epidemiologists Urgently Deployed... In-Depth Epidemiological Investigation Underway

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[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] A large number of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at a plastic manufacturing factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

According to Namyangju city quarantine authorities on the 17th, as of noon that day, 115 employees of the factory tested positive for COVID-19.

One Cambodian employee who showed symptoms such as fever was confirmed positive at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital on the 13th, and on this day, 114 additional employees tested positive.

Among the total 115 confirmed cases at this factory, 106 are foreign nationals and 9 are Korean nationals.

The city quarantine authorities conducted mass testing on 177 factory employees (including 145 foreign nationals) after receiving notification of confirmed cases from Yongsan-gu Public Health Center on the 16th.

So far, besides the confirmed cases at this factory, 5 individuals have inconclusive results, and 12 are still undergoing testing. Since 46 individuals tested negative but are likely still in the incubation period, retesting is planned.

Additionally, a mobile testing center has been set up in the Jingwan Industrial Complex, and mass testing will be conducted on approximately 1,200 employees from 59 companies located within the complex.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has taken immediate action by urgently deploying 18 epidemiologists to the Jingwan Industrial Complex in Namyangju.

A total of 18 epidemiologists from the province and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency have been dispatched to the site to conduct individual in-depth epidemiological investigations and on-site risk assessments of the company.

The province has transferred the 115 individuals who tested positive to residential treatment centers and other facilities, and has currently closed the factory and is conducting environmental specimen investigations.

Amid this, there are concerns about the spread of the virus to the local community due to this cluster outbreak.

According to the epidemiological investigation by quarantine authorities, a significant number of confirmed cases, including foreign workers, were found to have engaged in activities outside the factory during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

They were not subject to any control measures until they underwent diagnostic testing on the 16th.

A city official stated, "Although the factory cafeteria operated during the Lunar New Year holiday, it appears that many employees left the industrial complex to participate in gatherings and other external activities."

Quarantine authorities estimate that most of these individuals were likely infected through group living environments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.