"Can't Work from Home?" Nationwide Cluster Infections... Office Workers' Anxiety Spreads

246 New COVID-19 Cases...Total 15,761
Office Workers "Must Prevent Large-Scale Infections", "Concerned About Workplace Transmission"
Experts "Ensuring Public Safety First...Proactive Measures Also Minimize Economic Impact"

Citizens are hurrying their steps to work at the Gwanghwamun intersection in Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Recently, as new coronavirus (COVID-19) cluster infections have occurred nationwide, including churches in the Seoul metropolitan area, the voices of office workers urging the implementation of telecommuting and flexible work systems are growing louder.

In particular, concerns have been raised that the large-scale rally held on the 15th in the densely packed office area around Gwanghwamun, Seoul, could lead to infections within workplaces and spread to the local community. Experts have suggested that preemptive measures are necessary to ensure public safety.

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has hovered around 200 for five consecutive days. According to the quarantine authorities on the 18th, as of 12 noon, the number of new confirmed cases was 246. Among the 1,126 new cases reported over the past two weeks since the 4th, 733 cases (65.1%) were confirmed due to domestic cluster outbreaks, and 131 cases (11.6%) were so-called 'unknown transmission' patients whose infection routes could not be identified.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), expressed concern at a regular briefing held on the 17th at the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Chungbuk, stating, "The risk of COVID-19 infection is not limited to 'high-risk facilities' but has greatly increased in places we encounter daily, such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, and markets. If the situation is not controlled immediately, the number of confirmed cases could increase exponentially, leading to the collapse of the medical system and enormous economic damage."

As a result, office workers are raising their voices, worried about the risk of infection during commuting and within workplaces, calling for a shift to telecommuting. Since using public transportation during commuting or dining at restaurants during lunch breaks is unavoidable, they argue that social activities should be restricted through telecommuting for the time being to reduce interpersonal contact.

On the afternoon of the 15th, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church is speaking at a rally condemning the government and ruling party held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Jo Mo (28), an office worker who works near Gwanghwamun, said, "There are so many people passing through here, and a large-scale rally was held here last weekend, so I feel even more anxious."

Jo added, "Even if the streets and subway stations were disinfected, those people must have visited nearby restaurants or cafes and used public transportation on that day. Honestly, we can only know after the incubation period, but for now, I feel very uneasy. Even if I wear a mask all day at work, the risk of infection remains when eating in the cafeteria or in smoking areas."

There are also calls for the government to raise awareness of COVID-19 through official recommendations. Without government guidance, it is difficult for workers to demand telecommuting from companies, and there is a need to repeatedly emphasize the risks of COVID-19 to the public.

Earlier in February, following the Ministry of Employment and Labor's recommendation to actively utilize flexible work systems, some domestic companies began adopting telecommuting and flexible work arrangements. According to a survey conducted last month by the job portal Incruit targeting 530 office workers on 'telecommuting satisfaction,' 81.8% of respondents said they started telecommuting after COVID-19. Among them, 77% expressed satisfaction with telecommuting, citing reasons such as 'reduced commuting time' (28.1%) and 'minimized infection risk' (17.4%).

Some domestic companies decided to implement telecommuting following the government's elevation of social distancing to level 2 on the 16th. Kakao began indefinite remote work from the 14th. SK Broadband and KT plan to implement telecommuting from the 18th to the 23rd, and Naver also switched from a rotating work system to full telecommuting.

In other countries, the trend is to maintain telecommuting systems. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 27th of last month (local time), only 8% of downtown Manhattan workers returned to the office after stopping telecommuting. Microsoft plans to open its New York office after October, while Google and Facebook intend to maintain remote work until July next year.

On the 15th, the Seongbuk Public Health Center COVID-19 Screening Clinic under the jurisdiction of Sarang Jeil Church / Photo by Yonhap News

Experts emphasized that strengthening quarantine measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect public safety is urgent.

Professor Kim Tae-gi of Dankook University's Department of Economics said in a phone interview with Asia Economy that introducing telecommuting and flexible work systems is a way to prevent the spread of infection and minimize economic damage.

Professor Kim stated, "The Disease Control Headquarters views the current situation as serious. For office workers, the situation could repeat as it did last March depending on circumstances. Public safety is more important than economic activity. Only when public safety is secured can we quickly end the COVID-19 crisis and gain the strength to recover. Otherwise, economic activities cannot proceed," he emphasized.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of Gachon University Gil Medical Center's Department of Infectious Diseases predicted that since we are entering the early stage of a large-scale resurgence, it is desirable to quickly strengthen quarantine measures.

On the 17th, Professor Eom said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Seoul, Gyeonggi, and the metropolitan area have high population density and mobility, and due to rallies during the holidays, there is a high possibility of a widespread outbreak. The current confirmed cases were infected 1-2 weeks ago, so community transmission likely occurred during that time. It is very likely that many more people are infected than the current confirmed cases."

Professor Eom added, "As social activities such as professional sports games with spectators, concerts, gatherings, and worship services increased, contacts increased. This became an opportunity for COVID-19, which had been spreading quietly, to spread widely. It takes 3-4 weeks to see the effects of raising social distancing levels. Although moving to level 3 would cause significant social and economic losses, the reality is that the sooner and more decisively such decisions are made, the better," he stressed.

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