Korean Workers to Be Brought to Iraq Construction Site... Companies Likely to Stay in Temporary Facilities

Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Regular Briefing
Increased Infection Risk in Iraq... "Local Diagnosis and Treatment Difficult"
Negotiating with Companies for Temporary Facilities After Return

Arrivals at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 are receiving transportation guidance for overseas arrivals.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government announced on the 17th that it is preparing flights to repatriate Korean workers in Iraq. This decision comes amid concerns over increased local infection risks, as a significant number of Koreans returning from construction sites in Iraq have tested positive for COVID-19.

With thousands of new confirmed cases emerging daily in Iraq, it has become difficult for Korean workers, who are foreigners, to receive timely medical treatment locally. The government plans to coordinate with local authorities to determine the specific number of flights and schedules based on repatriation demand.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters’ quarantine team, stated at a briefing, "There are about 800 people at construction sites in Iraq who have not yet returned, and we are currently assessing how many of them wish to come back. We will decide on the number of flights to operate according to the demand."

During the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in February and March, the government arranged charter flights to bring back Korean residents from overseas locations such as Wuhan, China, and Italy. Considering the difficulty for Koreans abroad to receive timely testing and treatment, the government is applying its past repatriation experience to this current effort.

Measures to prevent in-flight transmission will include separating symptomatic passengers during the boarding process. After arrival, all returnees will undergo diagnostic testing and will be considered for a two-week quarantine in designated facilities. Previously, Koreans returning from Wuhan and Italy stayed in separate facilities due to the lack of suitable accommodations.

The workers being repatriated from the Iraqi construction sites are mostly employees dispatched from domestic companies and can self-quarantine. However, to completely prevent community transmission, discussions are underway with the companies to have them stay in separate temporary facilities. While in these facilities, their symptoms will be monitored, and if confirmed positive, they will be transferred to hospitals or residential treatment centers for care.

Currently, most of the eight temporary living facilities prepared by the government are nearly full, so it is likely that additional facilities will be arranged for these workers. Yoon said, "Regarding the temporary living facilities for workers returning from Iraq, since most belong to companies, we are in discussions with each company. We will provide updates once consultations with relevant government departments and companies are finalized."

Meanwhile, the government has revised the criteria for adjusting social distancing levels by region. This change was made because the lack of regional criteria made rapid responses difficult. Accordingly, to raise the social distancing level to Level 2, the average daily domestic confirmed cases over one week must exceed the threshold for each region, and the reproduction number during this period will be considered. The regional thresholds are 40 cases for the Seoul metropolitan area, 25 for the Gyeongnam region, 20 for the Chungcheong, Honam, and Gyeongbuk regions, and 10 for Gangwon and Jeju.

At the city and provincial level, the same criteria apply, but if the daily confirmed cases double at least twice within a week, raising to Level 2 can be considered. Decisions will be made by also reviewing the number and scale of cluster infections and available hospital beds. Since raising to Level 3 involves significant social costs, it will be decided through discussions with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters.

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