Changwon Doosan Machine Tools 'All Stop'... 3 Infected from Convenience Store Employee Refusing Inspection

Convenience Store Employee Participating in Gwanghwamun Rally Tests Positive After Refusing Test
Store Closed from 28th... Staff and In-House Daycare Under Investigation for Consecutive Infections
Daughter of Convenience Store Employee Attending Sin

On August 26, as 10 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Gyeongnam Province in one day, raising concerns about community transmission, Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam held a COVID-19 briefing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Fear is spreading in the community over concerns of infection spread after a convenience store employee near Doosan Machine Tools in Changwon (Gyeongnam No. 217, Changwon No. 51), who denied participating in the Gwanghwamun rally and refused testing, was confirmed positive. In tests conducted on Doosan Machine Tools employees on the 28th and 29th, three people (Changwon Nos. 54, 55, 56) were confirmed positive.

According to Changwon City on the 29th, as of 1 p.m. that day, out of 1,513 people subject to testing, including the Doosan Machine Tools headquarters, 53 partner companies, and teachers and children at the in-house daycare center, 1,469 had been tested. The results showed 3 positive and 1,371 negative cases. Ninety-five people are awaiting test results.

An employee of Doosan Machine Tools living in Seongsan-gu, Changwon (Changwon No. 54), used the convenience store where the 'No. 51' confirmed case worked near the company on the 18th, first experienced symptoms on the 20th, and was confirmed positive on the 28th. Two other Doosan Machine Tools employees recorded as Changwon Nos. 55 and 56 were reported to have had close contact with the confirmed colleague.

Regarding Sinwol High School, attended by the daughter of the convenience store employee (No. 51 confirmed case), among 505 people subject to testing excluding second-year students and related staff whose routes did not overlap depending on school attendance days, 467 had been tested as of 1 p.m. on the 29th, all of whom tested negative.

In this regard, Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-moo lamented, "Ignoring the voluntary reporting request for rally participants, neglecting the urgency of the administrative order to undergo diagnostic testing, and even denying participation in the rally have caused us to bear enormous social and economic costs." He added, "Regarding Changwon No. 51 confirmed case, a complaint was filed on the 28th for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention Act, and the leader of the Gwanghwamun rally associated with this confirmed case has also been referred to the police for further investigation."

Meanwhile, Doosan Machine Tools went on leave until the 30th after it was revealed on the 28th that a convenience store worker near the company tested positive. Specializing in automated manufacturing equipment such as CNC lathes, Doosan Machine Tools was established in 2016 after the machine tool division of the former Doosan Infracore was spun off. In the same year, MBK Partners acquired 100% of its shares, separating it from the Doosan Group, making it a mid-sized company in the Changwon area.

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