Positive Cases Of COVID-19 In Indonesia, Taiwan Temporarily Refuses Migrant Workers From Indonesia

Illustration (Photo: Irfan Ilmie / Antara)

JAKARTA - The Taiwanese government announced a temporary suspension of admission of Indonesian migrant workers for two weeks following a surge in positive cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia.

Reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 12, the Taiwanese government will not allow entry of migrant workers from Indonesia on December 4-17, 2020.

Policies to extend the postponement period of admission or reduce the maximum number of entry of Indonesian migrant workers will be further decided based on the consideration of the progress of the COVID-19 case in Indonesia which has been increasing in recent days, said a news release from the Taiwan Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

According to CECC data, an average of 677 migrant workers from Indonesia entered Taiwan every week during November.

The postponement of sending Indonesian migrant workers will affect 1,350 prospective workers from Indonesia, the CECC said.

To that end, the CECC advised prospective employers in Taiwan who were affected by the policy to contract migrant workers from other countries by calling the contact numbers 1966 or 02-8995-6000.

The policy was issued after the CECC found 20 out of 24 new cases of COVID-19 from among Indonesian migrant workers.

To date, Taiwan has 675 cases of COVID-19, of which 583 were imported. Among these imported cases, the largest contributor was the United States with 109 cases, followed by Indonesia with 103 cases, according to CECC records as quoted by the CNA News Agency.

In the midst of the high number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, 939 newly arrived migrant workers are currently undergoing quarantine in Taiwan.

Previously, the CECC had ordered all migrant workers coming from Indonesia to Taiwan to undergo a 14-day quarantine at a location determined by the local government starting November 20.

Previously, only migrant workers employed in the local social welfare sector, such as carers for parents and individuals who returned to Indonesia, were required to undergo this quarantine. However, migrant workers from Indonesia who work in the industrial sector must also be quarantined for two weeks upon their return from Indonesia.

The Taiwanese government has also banned eight companies that supply Indonesian labor to Taiwan because of the high percentage of positive cases of COVID-19 that occur in migrant workers they send to Taiwan.