Another Closure... Distribution Industry Intensifies Disinfection Efforts at Logistics Centers

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] As the daily confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surpassed 1,000, logistics centers in the distribution industry have entered a state of emergency for quarantine. While delivery volumes are pouring in, confirmed cases among logistics center employees continue, leading to work stoppages at logistics centers.

According to the distribution industry on the 19th, a temporary employee working at Coupang Yongin2 logistics center tested positive for COVID-19 on the 17th. In response, Coupang closed the Yongin2 and 3 logistics centers, conducted additional disinfection and cleaning, and currently, health authorities are conducting epidemiological investigations. Since about 50 employees who usually handle packaging work are stationed at the shipping area where this employee worked, concerns about the spread of infection are growing.

In the past month, closures of logistics centers due to employees testing positive for COVID-19 have been continuous. On the 5th, an employee working at Coupang Bucheon2 logistics center tested positive, leading to the closure of the center, and on the 27th of last month, an employee at Market Kurly’s refrigerated center in Jangji-dong, Seoul, was confirmed positive.

In the case of CU, on the 13th, a logistics driver at the Jeju logistics center tested positive, forcing a 24-hour suspension of operations at the logistics center according to health authorities’ guidelines. Delivery support was provided from the Seogwipo logistics center located in Seogwipo to ensure store operations were not disrupted, but the situation could have led to a logistics crisis.

As logistics center employees have recently tested positive in various locations, distribution companies are on high alert. With the social distancing level raised, online order volumes are flooding in, and even a one-day closure of a logistics center causes significant disruptions in delivery.

Some companies are expanding the hiring of daily workers due to labor shortages, but since many of these workers operate simultaneously at multiple logistics centers, there is a risk of chain shutdowns of logistics centers. In fact, earlier this year, a daily worker who tested positive for COVID-19 worked at different logistics centers simultaneously, causing two logistics centers to close at once.

In response, each company has launched an all-out quarantine effort. SSG.com, which once suspended operations at the 'Neo003' logistics center in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, in August due to an employee’s COVID-19 confirmation, doubled the number of dedicated safety management personnel responsible for logistics center disinfection and installed thermal cameras on each floor, raising quarantine management guidelines to the highest level.

Although SSG.com’s dawn delivery order completion rate reaches 97%, and logistics centers operate at nearly 100% capacity, the company reportedly has no plans to hire additional daily workers or increase delivery volumes out of concern for potential quarantine breaches. This is because even a one-day halt in operations at a wide-area logistics center like SSG.com’s 'Neo' can be fatal.

Market Kurly, which had multiple confirmed cases from May through August, October, and November, installed full-body disinfectant machines and thermal cameras at logistics center entrances and strengthened disinfection. In case of confirmed cases, the logistics center is fully closed, and products that cannot be disinfected are entirely discarded to minimize customer anxiety.

Despite the recent severe cold weather below freezing, all doors in indoor workspaces are opened every 30 minutes for ventilation, employing every possible method to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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