Another call center hit by COVID-19 infection cluster
The entrance of a building in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, is closed, Thursday, as more than 20 people working at a call center there have tested positive for COVID-19. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
More than 20 people working at a call center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, have tested positive for COVID-19, local government and health authority officials there said Thursday, raising concerns about potential mass transmissions, considering the usually packed environment at such workplaces.
City officials said at least 20 workers at the Shinhan Life Insurance and Shinhan Card call center were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus on Thursday alone, after the health authorities carried out testing on about 80 workers there, following the confirmation of a female worker in her 40s being infected, Wednesday.
Call centers have been cited as facilities susceptible to infection clusters as employees usually have to work in small booths for long hours speaking to customers on the phone.
In March, a call center in Seoul's Guro District, providing customer services for Chubb's ACE American Insurance, became an infection cluster and has since reported 170 related COVID-19 cases.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is carrying out epidemiological investigations into the movements of the infected workers in Cheonan and how many people they may have come into contact with, in an effort to prevent the further spread of the disease.
The health authorities are also carrying out coronavirus testing on about 170 people working in the same building as the call center.
Amid fears over possibly soaring infections in the region and surrounding area, the government decided to raise social distancing rules in Cheonan and nearby Asan from Level 1 to Level 1.5, beginning 6 p.m. Thursday.
On Sunday, the government revised its three-tier social distancing system, subdividing Level 1 and Level 2 into two to create Level 1.5 and Level 2.5, creating a five-tier system. The revised measures were designed to take more specific and tailored antivirus steps in response to the COVID-19 situation.
“I ask the operators of facilities used by many people to enhance antivirus measures to prevent any further spread of infections,” Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don said during a media briefing.
According to the KDCA, the nation added 125 new infections for Wednesday, raising the total caseload to 27,050, marking a triple-digit increase for the second consecutive day.
Among the 125, local cases stood at 108 including 72 in Seoul and the metropolitan area, and 23 in South Chungcheong Province.
The number of domestically transmitted cases was the highest since Oct. 22, when 138 new infections were reported, amid growing concerns that Halloween celebrations held Saturday could have sparked another wave of transmissions.
Those concerns were raised as many young people gathered at clubs and bars in popular areas in Seoul such as Itaewon and Hongdae for Halloween parties despite warnings against potential infections.
The number of patients traced to infection clusters at saunas, family gatherings and workplaces has also continued to increase, putting the authorities on high alert at a time when fears over a “twindemic” ― an overlap of the flu season with a possible surge in coronavirus cases ― are rising ahead of winter.