[Report] "I'm only in my 2nd week at work..." The Daily Life Overwhelmed by 'Corona Fear'

A Nightmare of Daily Life with COVID-19 in the Second Week of Employment
Restless Until 'Negative' Test Result After Relative's Positive Diagnosis
"Now It’s Truly Not Someone Else’s Problem but My Own"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] “What? That can't be true!”

At 8 p.m. on the 14th, my older sister, who stopped by our family home after work, shouted while on the phone. She was about to pick up the children who had been with our parents during the day.

After hanging up with a flushed expression, my sister finally spoke after putting on masks for herself and the two children. A relative she had met and spent time with over the past weekend had been diagnosed with COVID-19 that day. My parents and I, who were having dinner, hurriedly put on masks. It was the moment when the peaceful daily life of our family turned into a ‘COVID nightmare’ reality.

About 30 minutes after returning home, my sister called again. She said in a trembling voice, “The local health center of the confirmed case told me that according to the epidemiological investigation, I am a close contact and must self-quarantine. They advised me to go to the district health center here tomorrow for testing.”

My father, who initially tried to stay composed and manage the situation, ended up repeating the same words, “I can't believe this is happening to us, really happening to us...”

◆Even Father in Charge of Handling the Situation was ‘Mentally Crushed’=My mind was also in turmoil. The company where the confirmed case worked was completely shut down, and cases where movement paths were fully disclosed flashed through my mind. Then reality hit. ‘What should I tell the company? I’m still a probationary employee with less than two weeks on the job?!’

But there was no time to waste. I called the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency number ‘1339’. I wanted to get tested for COVID-19 with my family immediately. However, there were only 4 to 5 autonomous districts in Seoul with 24-hour screening clinics. When I contacted two of the hospitals I was referred to, both said, “Since you haven’t met the confirmed case directly, you need to come tomorrow morning. We don’t have enough staff.” They said the same for my sister’s family, who were classified as close contacts.

It was about an hour later at night when I thought, ‘I need to inform the company first.’ After contacting the HR manager and my department head and making eye contact with my parents, my heart burned black again.

My sister and young nephews were on my mind. Although I went to bed early, no one slept peacefully. My eyes opened at 5 a.m. The 10 a.m. testing start time felt unbearably long, so I looked for another testing site. There was one nearby that started at 9 a.m.

I changed plans, got dressed, and headed to the testing site. However, the test did not start on time. The staff repeatedly informed us, “We’re not ready yet. We have to wait for the medical staff to arrive.” People complained, asking, “Are the medical staff even coming?” In the biting wind of minus 10 degrees Celsius, people paced back and forth and moved their legs to keep warm. A woman who had come wearing only slippers, expecting a quick test, eventually squatted down and wrapped herself up.

◆Received ‘Negative’ Result but Fear Returns=The test began only after a line of more than 30 people formed. The actual test took only 20 to 30 seconds. The problem was that it took 48 hours to receive the test results. Upon further checking, the district health center said they would notify results within 24 hours. I drove with my parents and waited about two hours to get tested again.

Even after returning home from the test, the family all wore masks. Each person prepared their own food separately. We sprayed disinfectant on every surface we could touch and placed additional orders on online shopping malls. We used the bathroom separately. The night before the test and the night waiting for the results both felt unbearably long.

At 9:29 a.m. on the 16th, my parents and I received notification that the test results were ‘negative’. Relief and tension eased, and fatigue overwhelmed us. But fear returned again. It was no longer someone else’s problem. The fear of possibly becoming infected without knowing how the virus spreads was real. Without even realizing it, I could become a victim or, worse, cause harm to others. The nightmare of COVID-19 is still ongoing.

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