Coronavirus spreads at major Kazakh oilfield's worker camp

Twelve people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at one of the worker camps located next to the giant Tengiz oilfield in Kazakhstan, its operator Tengizchevroil said on Saturday.

The Chevron-led group, the central Asian nation’s No.1 oil producer, said critical activities in Tengiz had not been impacted and production was continuing as normal.

Tengizchevroil said it had taken measures to ensure the safety of workers on the site and avoid output disruption, including through limiting access to the field.

Earlier this week authorities confirmed the first coronavirus case at a 2,000-bed camp in the so-called rotational village, where workers of the company and its contractors stay during their weeks-long shifts.

On Saturday Tengizchevroil said that after tracing contacts of the first infected person, 11 more people had been diagnosed with the disease.

According to the company, the camp has been locked down and workers can enter the Tengiz field itself only after being quarantined for 14 days. Tengizchevroil has also delayed a planned maintenance turnaround until next year.