Samsung Electronics Implements Additional Quarantine Measures in Two Days: "Use Health Masks and Refrain from Dining Out"

Focus on Strengthening Personal Quarantine Measures

Samsung Electronics achieved a record high performance with annual sales exceeding 279 trillion won. On the 7th, Samsung Electronics announced that its preliminary consolidated results for last year showed sales of 279.04 trillion won and an operating profit of 51.57 trillion won. The Samsung flag is fluttering in the wind in front of Samsung Electronics' Seocho building on this day. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jin-ho] As daily new COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant surge well beyond 50,000, Samsung Electronics has decided to implement stricter internal quarantine measures just two days after the previous ones.

According to industry sources on the 11th, Samsung Electronics' DS (Device Solutions) division, which handles the semiconductor business, announced to its employees a plan to further strengthen social distancing guidelines. This is an additional measure following the complete ban on face-to-face meetings and training imposed five months ago on the 9th.

The additional measures focus on enhancing individual employee quarantine efforts. Specifically, employees are required to wear health masks rated KF80 or higher at all times. They are also encouraged to disinfect their personal workspaces at least once a day and to refrain from unnecessary lunch and dinner outside the company.

Measures to minimize contact have also been added. In particular, the work-from-home policy has been made more specific. Rotational work-from-home will be introduced on an individual basis depending on the department head's judgment. Initially, about 20% of eligible personnel will work from home, with plans to gradually expand this depending on the COVID-19 spread situation. A Samsung Electronics official stated, "It is difficult to disclose specific work-from-home ratios," but added, "We will monitor the COVID-19 situation and take appropriate measures accordingly."

Earlier, on the 9th, Samsung Electronics had already issued quarantine guidelines banning all face-to-face meetings and training, and advising employees to avoid domestic business trips. To prevent crowding at specific times, a staggered commuting system was implemented, allowing departments to commute to workplaces at different times.

Samsung Electronics' decision to strengthen quarantine guidelines again within just two days is attributed to the rapid increase in confirmed cases due to the Omicron surge. The number of new COVID-19 infections within Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division was in single digits daily until mid-last month but has recently risen to several dozen.

Meanwhile, as the DS division strengthens additional quarantine measures, the DX division of Samsung Electronics, responsible for finished products such as smartphones, TVs, and home appliances, is also expected to announce enhanced internal quarantine guidelines soon.

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