Workers check vehicles produced at an assembly plant in Karawang. (ANTARA)

 As many as 14 companies in Karawang District, West Java, have temporarily stopped production as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the local chamber of commerce and industry.

The 14 companies operate in industrial zones and estates in the district, chief of the chamber, Fadludin Damanhuri, said on Monday.

Some of the companies have forced workers to take unpaid leave and even laid off workers, he added.

He said the chamber is still collecting data on the number of workers who have been forced to take unpaid leave and laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is true that the condition at 14 companies in Karawang has become a cause for concern," he remarked.

Meanwhile, many companies in Karawang have not received technical guidelines from the local government on large-scale social restrictions which will be implemented in the district starting Wednesday (May 6, 2020), said Damanhuri.

There has been no explanation from the Karawang district government on whether companies in the district would operate as usual or have to restrict operations during the implementation of large-scale social restrictions, he added.

He said representatives of companies have met with officials from the district government to discuss preparations for large-scale social restrictions. However, the meeting did not cover technical guidance for companies, he added. (ANTARA)