Coupang Logistics Center COVID-19 Cases Surge... Bucheon City Returns to 'Social Distancing'

Testing of over 3,600 Regular Workers and Delivery Staff
Remote Classes Until Next Month 2 for Kindergartens, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools Except for 3rd Year High School Students

Coupang Bucheon Logistics Center with a surge of COVID-19 confirmed cases [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province will switch to a 'social distancing' quarantine system starting from the 27th as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads collectively and sporadically in the region, including the Coupang logistics center.

Jang Deokcheon, mayor of Bucheon, stated on Facebook that day, "The situation at the Coupang Bucheon logistics center is not easy," and added, "Bucheon City is returning to the social distancing system."

Accordingly, the city will maintain the social distancing quarantine system, including refraining from sending children to daycare centers, complete suspension of sports facility operations, and conducting group testing at nursing hospitals. In addition, temperature checks and mandatory mask-wearing have been enforced when entering public offices, and the use of electronic entry logs utilizing QR codes is under review.

Previously, the government operated a social distancing system from March 22 to May 5 in response to the spread of COVID-19, and from the 6th, it switched to a 'distancing in daily life' system.

To accelerate COVID-19 diagnostic testing related to the Coupang Bucheon logistics center, Bucheon City installed a screening clinic in the annex parking lot across from Bucheon Sports Complex in addition to the three existing screening clinics and began testing from 3 p.m. the previous day.

However, since many workers reside in areas near Bucheon, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has coordinated with local governments to allow testing at nearby locations.

Bucheon City estimates that the exposure period for confirmed cases at the logistics center was on the 12th and from the 18th to the 24th, and expects that at least 1,023 regular workers and 3,626 others including retirees, day laborers, and delivery company employees will need to undergo diagnostic testing.

The Coupang Bucheon logistics center will suspend operations according to the epidemiologist's opinion until two weeks have passed since the last contact date of the final confirmed case, considering any future confirmed cases, and until facility improvement measures are completed.

Meanwhile, the scheduled in-person classes for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders in elementary school, 3rd graders in middle school, 2nd graders in high school, and students of special schools in Bucheon were temporarily postponed that day.

The affected schools include 125 kindergartens, 64 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, 28 high schools, and 2 special schools in the region, totaling 251 schools, which will conduct remote classes until June 2.

The in-person classes for 3rd-year high school students, which had already started, will continue. The decision on whether 1st-year high school, 2nd-year middle school, and 3rd and 4th graders in elementary school scheduled to attend on June 3, and 1st-year middle school and 5th and 6th graders in elementary school scheduled to attend on June 8 will attend school will be made after further discussion with the relevant authorities.

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