Overseas business trips are already tough, but being told to quarantine on your own... anger explodes

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Mr. A, who works at a major domestic corporation, is about to return home after a long-term business trip to Southeast Asia, but he is facing a dilemma. He has to undergo a 2-week self-quarantine after returning, but he cannot find a suitable place for it.

Worried about his family's health, he is trying to avoid staying at home and is looking into quarantine facilities, but there are cost issues and it is not easy to find a place. He also feels that the company is irresponsible for just telling him to stay at home for 2 weeks without any special support and then go to work.

According to the related industry on the 25th, Korean businesspeople who went on overseas business trips despite the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are experiencing various difficulties upon their return. The government and companies require overseas returnees to self-quarantine for 2 weeks, but practical difficulties are being identified.

The biggest difficulty is the quarantine location. Staying at home without any preparation poses risks to young children or spouses. Even if business travelers receive a negative COVID-19 test result upon returning, there may still be risks such as the incubation period.

Mr. B, an employee of a mid-sized company who recently returned from a business trip to China, said, "Because of the risk of the virus, I sent my family to my parents' house and am living alone at home," adding, "The inconveniences are numerous."

There are also complaints that company support for employees who risked going on overseas business trips is poor. Mr. B said, "At first, I looked into government-designated facility quarantine, but there were issues with cost and location," and "The company did not specifically say they would support the costs, so I am just staying at home."

Some companies are reportedly placing employees who returned from business trips on standby orders while self-quarantining, which has caused controversy. It is reported that a major construction company affiliated with a large corporation instructed employees who returned from business trips last month to self-quarantine for 2 weeks and treated them as on standby orders, causing internal controversy.

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