'58 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases' at Guro-gu Call Center...Concerns Over Metropolitan Area 'Quarantine Blackhole' (Comprehensive)

Ace Insurance Call Center Where a Woman in Her 50s Tested Positive

48 Related Cases Including Employees, Trainees, and Family Members Confirmed

Cases Reported in 16 Local Governments Including Seoul’s Guro and Dongjak, Incheon, and Anyang in Gyeonggi

At a call center located on the 11th floor of the Korea Building in Sindorim-dong, a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred. On the 10th, quarantine officials from Guro-gu are operating a screening clinic for residents in front of the Korea Building in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] As of 2 p.m. on the 10th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the Ace Insurance call center in Guro-gu, Seoul, has reached 58. This is the largest cluster infection case among those that have occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province. While the spread of COVID-19 centered around Daegu and Gyeongbuk has slowed, the cluster infection at the Guro-gu call center has triggered a red alert for quarantine efforts in the metropolitan area. It is suspected that the outbreak was caused by failure to follow quarantine rules such as not wearing masks, and the number of affected people is expected to increase.

◆ 58 Confirmed Cases in Two Days After a Woman in Her 50s Tested Positive = As of 10 a.m. on the same day, a total of 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the 'Guro-gu Call Center' were reported by local governments including Guro-gu Office in Seoul and Incheon City. The number of related confirmed cases, which had reached 28 by midnight the previous day, continues to increase.

The first confirmed case was a 56-year-old woman living in Nowon-gu who works at the call center and underwent diagnostic testing. Subsequently, on the 9th, a 51-year-old female colleague living in Eunpyeong-gu and her husband (57 years old) were also confirmed positive.

As confirmed cases continued to emerge, Guro-gu placed all employees of the Ace Insurance call center (11th floor) located in the Korea Building in Sindorim-dong under self-quarantine and closed the office the previous morning. Disinfection work was carried out throughout the entire building, and a full closure order was issued for office spaces from the 1st to the 12th floor of the building. It is known that a total of 207 people worked in the call center office, including 148 call center employees and 59 trainees. Among them, 54 people were tested for COVID-19 by the Guro-gu Public Health Center, resulting in 13 positive cases. In addition, a large number of call center employees and trainees have been confirmed positive after testing at screening clinics in various regions. Some family members have also tested positive in certain areas.

Although the call center is located in Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, many infections occurred among residents living outside Seoul. The Korea Building, where the call center is located, is situated between Guro Station and Sindorim Station, where Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 2 intersect, making it convenient for commuters from Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. As a result, a significant number of employees are believed to reside in Incheon and Gyeonggi areas.

By region, there were 7 cases in Guro-gu, 5 in Gangseo-gu, 5 in Yangcheon-gu, 4 in Gwanak-gu, 2 each in Eunpyeong, Dongjak, and Yeongdeungpo-gu, and 1 each in Geumcheon, Nowon, and Songpa-gu in Seoul. Outside Seoul, infections were reported in Incheon City (14), Bucheon in Gyeonggi (5), Anyang (4), Gwangmyeong (3), and one case each in Gimpo and Uijeongbu. Most of these are employees who accessed the Ace Insurance call center. In Eunpyeong-gu and other areas, the husband of a confirmed call center employee also tested positive.

At a briefing, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "Excluding family contacts, all 46 confirmed cases were confirmed to have worked on the 11th floor call center," adding, "An epidemiological investigation and specimen testing are underway for all 207 employees of the call center." The quarantine authorities also plan to check for additional cases among employees working on other floors (7th to 9th floors) of the same company.

Call Center Located at the Intersection of Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 2

Majority of Commuters Reside in Other Areas Such as Incheon and Gyeonggi

Possibility of Not Wearing Masks Due to Call Center Work Characteristics

◆ Possible Cause: Not Wearing Masks = The reason for the large number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is presumed to be related to the nature of the call center. There is a possibility that quarantine rules were not followed, such as not wearing masks to ensure clear pronunciation.

The quarantine authorities also suspect that due to the nature of call center work involving phone responses, infections spread rapidly within the enclosed office where employees could not wear masks and had close contact with colleagues. Son Young-rae, Public Relations Officer of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex, "It has been confirmed that employees did not wear masks due to the nature of call center work."

A corporate official operating the call center said, "Although there are guidelines to wear masks, many employees take off their masks during consultations because it affects communication," adding, "In the case of the Guro-gu call center, it is possible that employees continuously took calls without masks and unconsciously talked with colleagues." A Guro-gu official also stated, "There is a possibility of droplet infection due to the nature of the call center," and added, "A more accurate investigation is underway through epidemiological studies."

There are also concerns about infections within the building. The Korea Building, completed in 2010, is a large building with six basement floors and 19 above-ground floors (total floor area 92,374.6㎡, approximately 27,943 pyeong). The building houses multiple facilities including a Starbucks on the first floor, a wedding hall, and a postpartum care center.

Previously, cluster infections occurred in the metropolitan area at Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital (15 cases), a management office of a residential-commercial complex in Seongdong-gu (13 cases), a senior welfare center in Jongno-gu (10 cases), and Saengmyeongsaem Church in Suwon (100 cases). Based on the numbers identified so far, the Guro-gu call center is feared to become the largest cluster infection case in the metropolitan area.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.