"Commuting Is Scary Too" Passengers on Subway Lines 2, 5, and 9 Experience 'Fear'

Yeouido·COEX Cluster Infections
"Delta Variant Said to Have High Transmission"
Commuters on Affected Routes Feel Anxious

Citizens wearing masks are commuting and moving at Yeouido Station.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "I usually took the subway, but starting this week, I have been commuting by car."

Office worker Jeong Hee-cheol (34, pseudonym) used to take both Line 2 and Line 9 during his commute, but since the 5th, he switched his mode of transportation to a car. He said, "Sudden increases in cluster infections and the strong transmissibility of the Delta variant make me uneasy about taking the subway."

Office worker Lee Hyung-seon (32, pseudonym), who works at a financial company in Yeouido, commutes by carpool and eats lunch with a packed meal. This is due to a surge of COVID-19 confirmed cases at restaurants and major institutions in Yeouido. Lee said, "Yeouido is a transportation hub, but the cluster infections of COVID-19 have increased my anxiety. I carpool with colleagues for commuting and bring a packed lunch to eat in the office instead of going to crowded restaurants."

As cluster infections continue across Seoul, citizens’ anxiety is growing.

The fact that major cluster infection sites are spread across subway Lines 2, 9, and 5 is causing fear among office workers. These lines are the busiest during commuting hours and are always crowded.

A cluster infection at a restaurant in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, has resulted in 18 confirmed cases so far. Epidemiological investigations revealed that after a visitor from another city was first confirmed positive, restaurant employees were sequentially infected. The restaurant is located underground and has many visitors, raising concerns about further spread.

Related to a restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, about 70 people have been confirmed positive. Especially with the intensifying cluster infections at multi-use facilities such as the Hyundai Department Store Trade Center branch near Samsung Station on Line 2, fear among nearby visitors is also increasing.

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