Samsung's Suzhou factory temporarily closed over COVID-19 case

SHANGHAI/SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co.'s factory in Suzhou, China, has been temporarily shut down after a COVID-19 infection was reported, sources said Wednesday.

A local employee tested positive for the virus the previous day, leading to the partial shutdown of the factory that manufactures household appliances, like refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.

The patient is said to have been infected with the virus by a family member who also works at the high-tech Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province.

China has maintained a "zero tolerance" policy toward the COVID-19 pandemic and used stringent lockdowns and testing to root out infections.

The Chinese health authorities have been conducting mass testing for about 4,000 Samsung workers, who have been banned from leaving the factory premise since Tuesday, according to the sources.

Some of the workers are in self-isolation while the others are said to be working in shifts. The impact of the shutdown was not immediately known.

Samsung's semiconductor facility, also located inside the park, is not affected by the shutdown.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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