Lee Jae-myung "Considering Compensation for Voluntary Reporting of COVID Symptoms Within Companies"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated that in cases like the recent Bucheon Coupang logistics center incident, where employees hide COVID-19 symptoms or continue working despite the company being aware of the symptoms, he will use a carrot of compensation and a stick of administrative enforcement to block the spread of COVID-19.

At a press conference held online on the 28th at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Situation Room, Governor Lee said, "It is reported that at the Bucheon Coupang logistics center, symptomatic individuals hid their symptoms or continued working," and explained, "If such situations occur in the future, we are considering a method to encourage them to report their symptoms to the company and refrain from working through partial compensation."

He added, "We are also considering administrative enforcement to crack down on symptomatic individuals who continue to work."

Governor Lee further stated, "So far, Gyeonggi Province has issued gathering bans on places with high transmission risks such as karaoke rooms, but has not imposed special sanctions on production and distribution sectors," and added, "Looking at the recent Coupang incident, I realized that special measures are necessary in cases where interpersonal contact is greater than in simple manufacturing facilities."

He went on to say, "We will also consider carefully and promptly what can be done in other areas with high interpersonal contact, such as logistics centers," emphasizing, "We will implement targeted responses."

Regarding whether the province will revert to social distancing measures due to the Coupang incident, Governor Lee responded, "Because it is closely related to the daily lives of residents, it cannot be decided easily. We will review the situation thoroughly and make prompt decisions and announcements as needed."

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