Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Denpasar Agency: 37 Migrant Workers Still in China

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 06:42 am

Aside from Indonesian students in Wuhan city, China, there are also migrant workers that until now still in that country. The Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Denpasar, Bali, has said that there are still at least 37 migrant workers in China, where the fast-spreading coronavirus has killed at least 213 in the mainland.
“Thirty-seven Indonesian migrant workers set off to China in 2019. Those workers mostly work as spa therapists or in the hotel business. We are still waiting for further information from the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing,” the agency’s Denpasar head, Soleh Hidayat, said on Friday as quoted by Antara.
Futhermore, Soleh revealed agency data indicated that no Indonesian migrant workers from Bali were sent to China in January. Also, even if there were those who applied to work there, they would be restricted from travel.
Those thirty-six of the migrant workers currently in China come from Denpasar and other regencies of Bali, including Badung, Gianyar, Jembrana and Tabanan. There is one worker originates from Banyuwangi, East Java.

From the 37 workers, mostly working as therapist, 13 of them work as spa therapists and nine of them as therapists in other sectors. For the others, they work in various other jobs such as operation manager, sales manager and assistant manager.

However, Soleh did not mention where exactly the workers lived whether inside Wuhan and other cities in Hubei – the epicenter of the outbreak – or outside the virus-hit province.
Until now, Soleh said, none of the families had asked about the whereabouts of the 37 migrant workers by visiting the agency’s office.
“Perhaps the workers have contacted their families directly,” he said.
Soleh said the central government had floated an evacuation plan as authorities monitor the outbreak. This matter also has affected flights between China and Indonesia.
He remained hopeful that the migrant workers in China were still healthy and he advised that they should immediately report to the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing for their status.