64 Confirmed Cases at Guro Call Center... "Full Cooperation Needed Among Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon"

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Others Discuss Joint Measures in Video Conference
Guro District Mayor: "Many People Haven't Been Tested, Confirmed Cases Will Increase"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The cluster infection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the call center in Sindorim, Guro-gu, Seoul is spreading beyond Seoul to Gyeonggi and Incheon, and the number of confirmed cases is likely to increase.

On the 10th, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a video conference held with Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, Gyeonggi Province Administrative Deputy Governor Kim Hee-gyeom, and Guro-gu District Mayor Lee Sung to discuss countermeasures for the call center, "So far, 64 people have been confirmed positive." He added, "This is the largest case of mass infection in the Seoul metropolitan area including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon," emphasizing, "We must cooperate fully beyond administrative jurisdictions."

Confirmed cases among Sindorim call center workers have already appeared simultaneously not only in Seoul but also in Incheon and the Gyeonggi area.

Mayor Park proposed joint measures such as forming a KakaoTalk group chat including epidemiologists and staff from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Guro-gu, sharing epidemiological investigation results of confirmed cases, and sharing the status of private call centers in the metropolitan area.

Mayor Park Nam-chun said, "Incheon had only 9 confirmed cases so far and had been managing well, but now there are 14 confirmed cases related to the call center. Mass infection is frightening."

He added, "I was worried and visited an insurance company, where insurance planners who had spread nationwide gathered at the regional headquarters for training and then dispersed," emphasizing, "Now, the insurance authorities need to supervise the sales and training methods."

District Mayor Lee Sung appealed that not only the call center workers in the Korea Building where the call center is located but also other office workers and officetel residents in the building should be promptly tested at local government screening clinics.

He also pointed out that the call center company has other offices on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of the building, saying, "There are 550 more workers here. We contacted each of them to inform them to get tested." Mayor Lee added, "In other districts or local governments, there are many cases where people who say they work in the Guro-gu call center building cannot get tested because they have no symptoms and then come back to Guro-gu," urging, "Please ensure that they get tested regardless of symptoms."

He also expressed concern, saying, "Among the 207 call center workers on the 11th floor of the building where the first confirmed case appeared, many have not yet been tested," and "Only half of those tested have received results, but now there are over 60 confirmed cases. Many more are expected to emerge."

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