'Crowded and Maskless' PC Bangs Could Become Hotspots for Cluster Infections

Night of the 10th at PC rooms in Mapo and Seongdong Districts, Seoul

No mask worn, 50cm distance between adjacent seats

Constant headset conversations... resembling the 'Guro-gu Call Center'

On the evening of the 10th, users at a PC bang in Mapo-gu, Seoul were playing games without wearing masks. Although there were many empty seats across from them, those who came to the PC bang with friends or coworkers continued to talk with the person next to them while focusing on the game.

[Asia Economy Reporters Jeong Dong-hoon, Lee Jung-yoon] Sitting in front of the monitor without wearing a mask. The distance to the person next to you is only 50cm. Focusing on conversations through the headset with the person on the phone or the person next to you, spitting continuously. "Come to top (the opposing team in the game)! You should be the support (the position that provides attack support)!"

This is not the scene of the Guro-gu call center in Seoul, where about 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported. It is the scene of a PC room easily found throughout the community and streets. At 7:30 p.m. on the 10th, a PC room in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The scene here resembled that of the Guro-gu call center. Due to the impact of COVID-19, it was not as crowded as usual, but about 40 customers occupied seats in a 120-seat facility. Among them, only 4 people wore masks. Only the staff wore masks properly over their noses and focused on disinfecting keyboards and mice.

Despite many empty seats, people were sitting closely packed together. The government recommends 'leaving one seat empty' and wearing masks in multi-use facilities such as PC rooms, but these guidelines were not followed on site. This is also related to the characteristics of PC room users. Most want to enjoy games while chatting with friends or colleagues. It was also common for people to take off their masks entirely. Shim Mo (26), who used the PC room, said, "I came to hang out with friends, but if I wear a mask alone, they say I'm being 'overly cautious'." He added, "Among peers, there is also an atmosphere of 'We're young, so even if we get COVID, will we die?'"

Government recommended 'leaving one seat empty'

But on site, "We want to talk and play games next to each other"

Atmosphere of "We're young, so even if we get COVID, will we die?"

Those who came to enjoy games with colleagues and friends after work seemed to have forgotten the fear of COVID-19. Kim Yeo-jeong (alias), who operates a nearby PC room, said, "The number of customers has dropped by more than 60-70%," and expressed frustration, saying, "'Wear a mask while playing games,' 'Please sit separately'?do you think customers would be happy if we say that?"

At 11 p.m. the same night, a PC room in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, had a similar atmosphere. Among about 30 customers, only 5 wore masks, and 3 of them wore masks below their chins. The 140-seat PC room had only one hand sanitizer, and the staff did not even disinfect the keyboards and mice used by customers.

PC rooms, which are easily exposed to infection, can become a trigger for cluster infections. Two men in their 20s (residing in Dongdaemun-gu, brothers) who were confirmed positive the day before were known to have used the PC room during the crowded hours of 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and quarantine authorities are investigating contacts. Park Yang-woo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, requested, "Multi-use facilities such as PC rooms have a high risk of cluster infections. We ask for active participation in leaving one seat empty as part of the social distancing campaign in PC rooms as well."

Kim Byung-soo, president of the Korea Internet PC Culture Association, said, "We have notified association members of safety rules such as mandatory mask-wearing, use of hand sanitizers, immediate disinfection of keyboards, mice, and headsets, and hygiene checks and management of adolescents," but added, "Anyway, since there are few customers, they sit leaving one seat empty."

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