Ambon (Antara) – Maluku Governor Murad Ismail has ordered a municipal hospital in Central Maluku district to shut temporarily after its 14 employees tested positive for coronavirus.

Public services of the Ishak Umarela Municipal Hospital in Salahutu subdistrict have been suspended but it will continue to operate at limited capacity to treat its own staff members who have been infected.

"Based on an order from the governor, the hospital shuts until the next 14 days because many medical workers and non-medical workers have been infected by Covid-19," Kasrul Selang, the head of the provincial Covid-19 task force, said on Friday.

Hospital director Dr Dwi Murti Nuryanti was among those who caught the virus, he said.

At least 46 other employees have taken the polymerase chain reaction-based testing but they are still waiting for the result, Kasrul added.

The hospital has more than 300 medical and non-medical workers.

"The 46 people have had direct contacts with their 14 colleagues who have tested positive for the virus," he said.

On Saturday, around 250 other employees of the hospital began to take rapid screening for Covid-19.

Kasrul said four family members of the infected employees also have tested positive and are being treated at the hospital, in addition to just six more patients from the public.

"For the next 14 days, all public services will be suspended to sterilize the hospital. The remaining patients will be isolated at separate rooms under close surveillance," he said.

The eastern province has 400 confirmed cased of Covid-19 as of Saturday, including 10 deaths and 105 recovered patients.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/maluku-hospital-shuts-after-14-employees-contracted-coronavirus