Financial Sector Call Centers Nationwide 701 Locations as Cluster Infection Hotspots... "Remote Work, Shift Work, On-site Inspections"

"701 Financial Sector Call Centers Nationwide with 63,000 Employees, Workplace Density Must Be Reduced"
Financial Authorities to Conduct On-Site Inspections with Local Governments on Implementation of Remote and Shift Work

The screening clinic in front of Korea Building in Guro-gu, Seoul, where a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred on the 12th, is quiet. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government has decided to conduct on-site inspections to directly check whether quarantine measures are being properly implemented at financial sector call centers across the country. The Guro-gu call center, considered the largest cluster outbreak case of COVID-19 in the Seoul metropolitan area, served as the catalyst. The plan is to reduce workplace density while also examining whether employees suffer any disadvantages during this process.

No Hong-in, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, said at a briefing on the 14th, "There are 701 financial sector call centers nationwide with about 63,000 employees," adding, "We discussed with the financial sector and financial authorities to strengthen quarantine measures at call center workplaces, which have high density and a high possibility of droplet transmission."

According to quarantine authorities and local governments, as of the day before, the confirmed cases related to the Guro-gu call center reached 115 (82 employees and 33 family members or contacts). Although there are not many cases of additional infections among employees on other floors of the same call center, patients continue to emerge due to community activities near the residences of the employees, raising concerns about further spread.

The COVID-19 infection prevention measures announced by the financial authorities the previous day included recommendations to actively utilize three-shift work or remote work for counselors at each workplace to reduce workplace density to about half of the current level. Additionally, they requested each financial institution to strive to maintain employment and income stability so that call center employees do not suffer disadvantages during this process.

Controller No stated that although these measures are recommendations rather than mandatory, financial authorities and local governments have decided to conduct on-site inspections to ensure proper implementation of these guidelines. Furthermore, since there is concern that quarantine measures may lengthen counseling waiting times, the general public is asked to refrain from making non-urgent consultation or civil complaint calls as much as possible.

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