COVID-19 Local Spread 'Trigger' at Cheonan Call Center... Sudden Social Distancing Strengthening Causes 'Confusion'

Medical staff at a screening clinic are collecting specimens from citizens for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. The photo is unrelated to the article. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy (Cheonan) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The cluster infection of COVID-19 among call center employees in Cheonan is becoming a fuse in the local community. The problem is not only the increasing number of confirmed call center employees starting from the first confirmed case but also the growing concern over 'n-th infection' through employees' families and acquaintances.

Due to these concerns, the region has raised the social distancing level for the first time nationwide. However, questions arise about the effectiveness of the sudden strengthening of social distancing. The context is that the 'morning announcement, afternoon implementation' of the unprepared social distancing enhancement could potentially cause confusion.

According to Chungnam Province and Cheonan City on the 6th, the call center where the COVID-19 cluster infection occurred is the Shinhan Life Insurance and Shinhan Card call center located in Sinbudong, Cheonan. It is reported that about 70 employees have been stationed and working there. Due to the nature of the call center, most employees are women in their 30s to 50s, and they worked divided between the 7th and 8th floors of the building.

The first confirmed case at the call center was a woman in her 40s on the 4th. However, starting with this employee's confirmation, 29 other employees working in the same office space were confirmed positive in a cluster infection pattern (a total of 30 as of 6 a.m. on the 6th).

The quarantine authorities estimate that the cause of the cluster infection was exposure to COVID-19 while conducting counseling work without wearing masks in a poorly ventilated, enclosed space.

The problem is that, through a full investigation, additional confirmed cases may occur beyond the currently confirmed employees, and it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility of 'n-th infection' spreading to families and acquaintances through call center employees.

Moreover, the building housing the call center is located in the center of Cheonan, where there is usually a large floating population, causing tension among quarantine authorities. The tension arises from the likelihood that many people who came into contact with call center employees during commuting hours.

Also, near the building where the call center is located, there is a highway bus terminal, raising concerns that the local COVID-19 outbreak could spread to other regions.

For the same reasons, the province and city raised the social distancing level in the Cheonan and Asan areas from level 1 to level 1.5 on the 5th. This is the first case of social distancing being strengthened shortly after it was lowered to level 1 nationwide.

With the upgrade to level 1.5, the number of people allowed to enter 14 types of 'general management facilities' such as PC rooms is restricted, and distancing between seats is strengthened.

Gatherings and demonstrations of more than 100 people, large-scale concerts, festivals, and academic events are prohibited, and only up to 30% of the total capacity is allowed in professional sports stadiums.

In particular, in everyday spaces such as wedding halls, funeral homes, and bathhouses, the number of people allowed is limited to one per 4㎡, and restaurants with an area of 50㎡ or more must space tables at least 1 meter apart or install partitions.

However, there are complaints on the ground about the strengthening of social distancing by the province and city. While it is natural to recognize the seriousness of the call center cluster infection and participate in strengthening social distancing, complaints arise from the confusion caused by the implementation of level 1.5 social distancing from the afternoon of the same day after an emergency briefing hosted by the Cheonan mayor in the morning.

This confusion also stems from not knowing the exact details of the applied measures despite hearing about the implementation of level 1.5.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that local governments face practical difficulties due to a lack of personnel to manage, supervise, or guide the actual application of level 1.5 despite announcing the implementation plan.

A Cheonan city official said, "We understand that some self-employed people feel some confusion between the announcement of the level 1.5 implementation plan and its application on the same day," adding, "The city has first informed citizens of the level 1.5 upgrade and is currently conveying precautions related to the application of level 1.5 to industry associations."

He continued, "Once detailed guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and others are received, we plan to immediately inform businesses to reduce confusion," and added, "We ask citizens to refrain from using public facilities and gatherings as much as possible and to thoroughly follow basic hygiene rules such as handwashing."

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