Workers at crowded offices fear mass infections

People wearing face masks walk up and down the stairs at Sindorim Station in Seoul, Thursday, amid growing concerns over potential mass transmission of COVID-19 following a cluster infection at a call center near the station. Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Lee Sang-min, 34, who is employed at an office in Gasan, southwestern Seoul, used to take the subway to go to and from work every day. But he began using his car to commute Thursday, after Seoul's biggest-yet cluster of COVID-19 infections occurred at an insurance company's call center in the Guro District, near his office.

Driving to work takes twice as long than using the subway due to bad traffic during rush hour, but he decided to endure such inconvenience as concerns here are growing over possible mass transmissions in the metropolitan area.

“I have to wake up an hour earlier than usual because driving to work takes longer, but it was an inevitable choice as I was worried that confirmed patients from the call center may have used the subway I take,” Lee said. “My wife wants me to work from home, but I cannot do that because all the computer systems necessary for my work are in the office.”

The number of new coronavirus cases linked to the Guro call center has reached more than 100, according to Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

So far, mass infections have emerged at religious facilities, hospitals and nursing homes, mostly in rural and regional areas.

The call center's case marks the first cluster infection at a workplace, and its employees mostly live in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon area, which has led to fears that the capital is no longer safe from COVID-19.

In addition, Sindorim Station on Seoul Subway Line 1 and Line 2, which is near the call center, is one of the busiest transportation hubs in the capital.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) acknowledged that the government's epidemiological investigation is facing difficulty in clarifying exposure to the virus on public transportation used by confirmed patients.

“We are aware that many citizens are worried about using subways and buses, but it is difficult to precisely find out who has come into contact with infected people,” KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said during a briefing, Wednesday. “It is necessary to disinfect all subways and buses thoroughly.”

Some companies have allowed their employees to work from home following the outbreak, but workers at a considerable number of firms are still going to the office as usual.

According to a recent survey released by the online job portal Saramin, 40.5 percent of 1,089 local firms have allowed their employees to work from home or plan to do so due to COVID-19 concerns.

“I stopped having lunch at restaurants, and am instead taking a lunchbox to the office because I don't want to go to places where many people gather,” Cho Hye-rin, 37, who works at an office in Seoul's Mapo District, said. “If a coronavirus infection occurs here, the whole building will be shut down causing a lot of inconvenience to others. I don't want to be that person.”