27 test positive for COVID-19 at auto parts manufacturer in Cheonan

▲ This undated file photo, provided by the city government of Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, shows an industrial complex in the city. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo shows a medical worker giving directions to a man who visited a coronavirus testing center in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on April 26, 2021. (Yonhap)

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27 test positive for COVID-19 at auto parts manufacturer in Cheonan

CHEONAN, South Korea, April 27 (Yonhap) -- Twenty-seven employees have tested positive for the new coronavirus in an infection cluster reported at an automobile parts manufacturer in the central city of Cheonan, officials said Tuesday.

According to the city government of Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, two Chinese nationals working at the manufacturer first tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday after showing symptoms.

Following the results, the city government conducted mass testing on all 117 employees at the company and confirmed 25 additional cases between Monday evening and Tuesday.

Of the infected, 16 were foreign nationals, including seven Chinese, seven Cambodians, one Nepalese and one Russian.

They were all living together at a dormitory in the factory, according to the city government.

Following the report of the cluster infection, the municipality swiftly halted operations at the company and launched epidemiological surveys to prevent the further spread of the virus there.

Having installed a temporary coronavirus testing center at the broader industrial complex that houses the auto parts maker, the city was also conducting virus tests on all of the around 2,100 workers inside the complex, as well as others working at nearby restaurants.

City officials presumed lax wearing of masks, as well as insufficient ventilation at the company's workplaces and cafeteria, to be responsible for the latest group infection.

"We will do our best to mobilize the city's full administrative capacity to prevent the cluster infection (at the company) from spreading to the local community," Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don said.

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