2 workers of Samsung's chip production line test positive for coronavirus

SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Saturday that two employees working at a semiconductor production line in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The employee infections are unlikely to affect the chip manufacturing operations of the world's largest semiconductor company, Samsung said, adding the two employees belong to a semiconductor production line at the company's Hwaseong Campus in Hwaseong, about 60 kilometers south of the capital.

One of them took a coronavirus test at an in-house clinic Friday after displaying symptoms, such as fever and cough, according to the company. He took a summer vacation from Aug. 16-19 and was on duty on Wednesday and Thursday.

Another employee was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday after displaying symptoms of the virus the previous day.

Authorities have yet to determine the exact transmission routes of the two employees, the company explained.

"The two employees have been on duty wearing various safety equipment, such as masks, dustproof clothes and dustproof shoes. Moreover, the inside of the semiconductor production line is a space where the pressure is controlled by a positive pressure facility. Thus there is a slim possibility of in-house transmission of the virus," a company official said.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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