Local Companies Busy Implementing Additional Measures Amid 'Wuhan Pneumonia' Spread

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hwang Yoon-joo, Yoo Je-hoon] As Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China, is temporarily locked down, Korean companies operating there are also on high alert. SK General Chemical, POSCO, and others with production bases and sales corporations in Wuhan are busy establishing close communication channels with the local area and preparing countermeasures.

According to the industry on the 23rd, SK General Chemical and POSCO, which have business sites in Wuhan, China, are reviewing additional countermeasures after receiving reports from the local area. Korean Air, which operates flights to Wuhan, is also checking the 'NOTAM' notice about the suspension of runway use in Wuhan City since the morning. As of 8 a.m. that day, there were no pneumonia patients reported from Korean companies located in Wuhan.

SK General Chemical, which has the largest business site in Wuhan, is providing infection prevention kits such as masks to expatriates and local employees and disinfecting inside the factory. At the same time, they are securing additional medical equipment such as thermometers and guiding all members to refrain from visiting crowded places and group events.

SK General Chemical acquired the 'Wuhan Branch Office' located in Wuhan City last year through Zhonghan Petrochemical, a joint venture with China's Sinopec. There are 18 SK General Chemical expatriates working locally. A SK General Chemical official said, "Although public transportation has been temporarily suspended, the facilities are operating normally," adding, "Most of the facilities are controlled automatically, so the factory will operate with a minimum number of personnel for the time being while focusing on quarantine."

POSCO, which also has a processing center (POSCO-CWPC) in Wuhan City, is preparing a response system and monitoring the local situation. POSCO has instructed all employees to avoid accessing the affected areas and urged them to avoid crowded places.

A POSCO official explained, "We check the temperature of all employees with a thermometer every day when they come to work and monitor for fever symptoms," adding, "We are actively conducting preventive activities such as installing hand sanitizers in places where employees are present, including factories and offices."

The aviation industry is also monitoring the situation and responding accordingly.

Korean Air, which operates the Incheon-Wuhan route four times a week, is checking in real-time whether the runway in the area is closed (NOTAM) following the news that Wuhan City will temporarily suspend public transportation and flights in the city from 10 a.m. that day.

Also, on Chinese routes, masks for infection prevention are provided to passengers showing suspicious symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, as well as to surrounding passengers. Passengers with suspicious symptoms are measured for body temperature and asked to fill out a checklist to determine whether travel is possible. T'way Air was scheduled to make its first flight on the Incheon-Wuhan route on the night of the 21st but ultimately postponed the new route launch.