MELAKA, Nov 12 — More than 8,000 workers from a factory in Batu Berendam here will undergo COVID-19 screening after some of them tested positive, said state Health and Anti-Drug Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman.
He said the factory, which will bear the cost of the screening, initiated the move following a rise in COVID-19 positive cases among its employees, triggering a new cluster called the Berendam Cluster.
He said that as of yesterday, the cluster had recorded 19 active cases, with 18 of them undergoing treatment at the Melaka Hospital.
“As of yesterday, the Melaka Health Department, with the cooperation of the factory management, screened 2,118 people, involving 1,892 employees and 226 close contacts among their family members.
“Of the total, 240 employees are still waiting for their results. A comprehensive screening of all the employees is being carried out,” he told a press conference today.
He said the first phase of the Berendam Cluster was identified after one of the factory’s employees returned from a red zone and was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive through compulsory screening carried out by the factory.
He added that more factory workers became infected after attending a birthday party at a resort in Alor Gajah.
Sources: BERNAMA