Kaohsiung tracks down 100 people tied to suspected Indonesian case

Kaohsiung, Feb. 28 (CNA) Kaohsiung's Department of Health has tracked down nearly 100 people who have had contact with an Indonesian factory worker after she visited a friend in New Taipei who was later confirmed to have the novel coronavirus.

The friend -- an Indonesian caregiver -- was confirmed as Taiwan's 32nd case of novel coronavirus infection on Feb. 26, and the search began after a check of the people she came in contact with included the Indonesian factory worker, a Gangshan District resident who fell ill herself.

The investigation found that the migrant factory worker visited a local clinic on Feb. 25 after having a sore throat, after which she went to a hot pot restaurant with three friends, and she was taken to a hospital and quarantined on Feb. 26, said department official Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎) on Friday.

In a first round of testing, the worker tested negative for the novel coronavirus, but the hospital is doing another round of tests.

Tracing her movements, Pan said the worker traveled to New Taipei on Feb. 16 and returned to Kaohsiung via high-speed rail on Feb. 18. After arriving at Zuoying Station, she returned to her workplace in Gangshan via the metro.

In the days that followed, the worker made contact with nearly 100 people, including friends, colleagues at the factory where she works and medical workers at the clinic she visited, according to the department.

Those known to have come in contact with the Indonesian worker have been asked to follow self-health management guidelines for 14 days, Pan said.

On Thursday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) detailed the movements of the Indonesian caregiver confirmed the day before as having the highly contagious coronavirus, which has spread to more than 40 countries and killed over 2,800 people since appearing in Wuhan, China, in December.

The caregiver was found to have used public transportation in the Greater Taipei area and passed through Taipei Main Station several times from Feb. 16 to 24.

She also visited Taipei Main Station, the Shulin and Banqiao train stations, Taipei City Mall and Longshan Temple, and rode the Sanchong Bus "Blue 38" line, and the Taipei MRT Tamsui-Xinyi, Bannan and Zhonghe-Xinlu lines.