Authorities in Kazakhstan have suspended the operations of Rakhat, a subsidiary of South Korea's Lotte Confectionery, after several workers tested positive for COVID-19, the city government said on Saturday.

Tests were carried out on 1,450 workers and eight were found to be positive. The Almaty factory will resume its work after implementing the necessary safety measures, the authorities said.

Kazakhstan has so far reported 14,238 confirmed cases COVID-19, with 72 deaths.

(Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Clelia Oziel)