COVID-19 Spread from Itaewon... SK Telecom "Work from Home Until the 24th"

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] SK Telecom will return to full remote work for all employees until the 24th. As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which seemed to be subsiding, spread again following the recent Golden Holiday at the beginning of this month, the company has taken a proactive response.

On the 14th, SK Telecom announced through an internal notice, "There is an increasing possibility of cluster infections in the metropolitan area, especially transmission in asymptomatic cases," and stated, "From this afternoon until next week, remote work will be implemented for all employees."

As cluster infections centered around Itaewon clubs have recently spread in the metropolitan area, SK Telecom judged that the safety of its members and their families is the top priority and decided on this policy at an emergency executive meeting held that morning. In particular, Park Jung-ho, President of SK Telecom, and the management team, recognizing that younger age groups have a higher likelihood of asymptomatic manifestation, have requested that junior members work remotely as much as possible.

So far, it has been confirmed that no confirmed cases have occurred within SK Telecom or its family companies. For regional headquarters with relatively less impact, flexible remote work will be applied based on the judgment of the head of the headquarters. Essential personnel who must come to work inevitably are required to follow precautions such as refraining from using public transportation and wearing masks.

Earlier, SK Telecom was the first in the industry to implement company-wide remote work on February 24th, when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading. Since April 6th, the company returned to a flexible work system.

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of midnight on this day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea reached 10,991. Among the 29 new confirmed cases the previous day, 20 were related to Itaewon clubs. A total of 35,000 people nationwide have undergone COVID-19 testing related to Itaewon clubs. Among them, 131 have been confirmed positive so far.

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