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| People outside Korea Building, where group transmissions were reported on Monday, in Guro District, Seoul, line up to have the coronavirus test, Tuesday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
An insurance company call center in southwestern Seoul is now a hotbed for COVID-19 infections in the Seoul metropolitan area, with 64 employees, their family members and acquaintances confirmed to have contracted the virus.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, this was the largest case of group transmission in the city and the number of cases is expected to rise.
Of 64, it's unclear how many are employees of Metanet Mplanform call center in Guro District, outsourced by Ace Insurance. The company's Korea Building has been closed and quarantine officials are conducting tests on everyone who visited it. ACE Insurance is part of the Chubb global insurance group.
The quarantine authorities are tracking down the itinerary of the first confirmed infected employee, a woman in her 50s living in Nowon District, who has not visited China or Daegu and is not a member of the Shincheonji Church.
The confirmed patients live all over Seoul and neighboring areas, including Incheon, Anyang, Gwangmyeong and Gimpo.
The location of the call center has also stoked fears, because it is in one of the busiest areas in southwestern Seoul, where subway lines Nos. 1 and 2 converge. Call centers are usually located in central, accessible areas in order to attract potential employees.
The authorities suspect the virus could have been transmitted through airborne droplets. Call center employees usually work with phones and are less likely to have masks on while talking to their clients.
The 19-story building where the company is located also has a post-natal care center and a wedding hall.
The outbreak in Daegu demonstrated group infections contribute to the fast spread of the virus ― infections through members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus caused the total number of cases in Korea to skyrocket to more than 7,000 in less than three weeks after the first sect member was confirmed to have the virus.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly 80 percent of the coronavirus infections here happened through group transmissions.
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