Coupang Logistics Center Infection Source 'Ori-muju'

27 Patients with Unidentified Infection Routes... 7.6% of Total Confirmed Cases
Only Confirmed Overlap with Incheon Instructor Who Visited Itaewon Club
Health Authorities Weigh Possibility of Separate Infection Source Leading to Spread
Cluster Infections Emerge Across Various Locations... Strengthening Quarantine Management

On the 29th, citizens visiting the screening clinic set up at Bucheon City Public Health Center in Gyeonggi-do are undergoing tests for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Daeyeol, Jo Hyun-ui] Although a large-scale cluster infection occurred at the Coupang Logistics Center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, the initial infection route remains unclear. It has been confirmed that the transmission starting from an Incheon academy instructor who visited the Itaewon Club overlapped with the movement paths of the first confirmed case identified at the logistics center, but health authorities do not rule out the possibility that a separate infection source was introduced, leading to a large-scale spread.

Coupang Logistics Center Still in the Dark

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 29th, there were 58 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), exceeding 50 for two consecutive days. All new cases on this day were from the metropolitan area. The infection route of the cluster infection hotspot, the Coupang Logistics Center, is still 'under investigation.' According to explanations from health authorities and local governments, the first possibility is transmission mediated by a first birthday party held on the 9th at a restaurant called Raon Party in Bucheon. The transmission started from an Incheon academy instructor who visited the Itaewon Club, then spread to academy students, and subsequently to a taxi driver who visited a karaoke room.

Someone who took photos at the birthday party as a side job had attended the event, and that person worked at the Coupang Logistics Center. If this link is confirmed, it can be classified as a cluster infection originating from the Itaewon Club, but authorities have not reached a definite conclusion. Previously, Bucheon had cases of community-level infections such as church cluster infections, so there is also the possibility that the virus was introduced through other routes.

The company signboard is hung on the exterior wall of the Coupang Bucheon Logistics Center building in Ojeong-dong, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

After epidemiological investigations since the first patient was identified on the 23rd, the detection of the virus on workers' hats and shoes, among other contaminated areas throughout the workplace, has made it difficult to trace the infection route. The absence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) within the facility and the nature of the logistics center handling fresh food, which makes it difficult to specify the symptom onset date for each confirmed patient, are also factors complicating the epidemiological investigation.

However, unlike the Itaewon Club case, about 4,000 employees who visited the facility were immediately identified and contact tracing was promptly conducted, with most tests completed by the previous day, which is a fortunate situation. At a briefing the previous day, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "Although the epidemiological investigation is still ongoing, it is currently judged that transmission occurred in 'blind spots' where daily quarantine rules were not properly followed, such as during meals at the restaurant or smoking in the smoking room," adding, "However, testing of all workers must be completed, and since many contacts are still within the incubation period, further confirmation is needed to identify the initial infection route."

As the operation of public and multi-use facilities in the metropolitan area was temporarily suspended due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) originating from a logistics center, on the 29th, officials at the Nam Seoul Municipal Museum in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, posted a temporary closure notice at the entrance. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Cluster Infections Emerge Across Various Locations

In addition to the Coupang Logistics Center, as the number of patients with unknown infection routes increases nationwide, health authorities have become highly alert. Small-scale cluster infections such as the KB Life Insurance telemarketing office in Chungjeongno, Seoul (8 cases), and the Original Bible Study Group in Seoul and Gyeonggi area (11 cases), as well as cases with unclear infection routes among soldiers in Cheorwon, high school students and new recruits in Daegu, have been reported.

Not knowing the infection route means that there are patients or infection sources in the community who are not isolated, and there is always a possibility of a large-scale spread. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of the previous day, 27 patients in the past two weeks had unidentified infection routes, accounting for 7.6% of all new confirmed cases. The government aimed to keep this figure below 5% to maintain the daily quarantine system, but it has failed to meet this target along with other criteria such as the scale of new confirmed cases (below 50 per day) and the management rate within the quarantine network (above 80%). Although the government has not reverted to the high-intensity social distancing measures implemented from March to April, it has announced plans to strengthen quarantine management targeting metropolitan area academies, keeping these points in mind.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center appeared on 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day and said, "If the outbreak centered on Itaewon was the first wave, then the second wave, transmitted by visitors and confirmed cases not yet identified, has arrived," adding, "There is a high possibility that more confirmed cases will emerge from the logistics center cluster infection for the time being, and even if it is well controlled, the next 2 to 3 weeks will inevitably be quite difficult."

He also said, "Successful quarantine requires a fast and strong response, but there is concern that this sense is being lost now," and "A faster and stronger response is necessary to break the chain of transmission."

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