A Major Mart in Jeju Faces Criticism for Lax Quarantine Despite COVID-19 Cases

Face-to-Face Solicitation for Point Card Issuance at Checkout

Food Corner Tongs Used by Customers Without Disinfection

The image on the left shows face-to-face solicitation with distancing consultation seats left empty, and the image on the right shows many customers sharing tongs used in the food corner.

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] Despite the occurrence of a COVID-19 cluster infection involving 24 people at the Shin-Jeju branch of Emart in Jeju, the quarantine measures remain lax.

In front of the checkout counters, face-to-face solicitation for point card issuance was taking place, and tongs in the food section were being shared among customers without disinfection.

According to Jeju Province on the 31st, since the first confirmed case at the Jeju Emart Shin-Jeju branch on the 20th, a total of 24 confirmed cases have been reported as of the previous day.

On the 23rd, visitors to Emart flooded the Jeju Health Center all at once, resulting in about 9,600 COVID-19 tests being conducted in a single day.

Given this situation, Jeju Province extended the social distancing level 4 measures until the 12th of next month to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections within the province.

Despite going through a major outbreak, customers at the Emart Shin-Jeju branch expressed anxiety over the lax quarantine conditions.

On the afternoon of the 29th, in front of the checkout counters, sales representatives from a card company linked with Emart were soliciting customers by asking them to show their receipts after checkout for point card issuance.

Although a separate space with transparent acrylic dividers was set up outside the checkout counters to maintain distancing during consultations, the card company sales representatives were closely explaining face-to-face to customers who had finished their purchases.

Also, in the food section, only two or three tongs were provided per corner for customers to pick up bread, rice cakes, and other food items, and customers were sharing the tongs without disinfection to put food into their baskets.

In other large supermarkets, measures such as minimizing the number of tongs in the food section and providing sanitary gloves have been implemented, showing strengthened quarantine measures unlike those at Emart Shin-Jeju branch.

Mr. A said, “If a cluster infection has occurred, stronger quarantine measures should be implemented to prevent recurrence, but I don’t understand how they operate with laxer measures than other branches where no COVID-19 cases have been reported.”

In response, a representative of Emart Shin-Jeju branch stated, “We acknowledge the issues and will provide sanitary gloves and disinfect the tongs in the future,” adding, “We will also take measures to prevent solicitation in front of the checkout counters.”

A Jeju City quarantine official said, “We will notify all supermarkets to ensure that tongs in the food section are not shared among customers.”

Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won captain@asiae.co.kr

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