Temporary Closure of 'Gwangju Ujeon Jipjungguk' Following Contact with 16th Confirmed Case

Korea Post Headquarters Temporarily Closes Gwangju Mail Sorting Center and Places Employees in Self-Quarantine After Contact with 16th Confirmed Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The Korea Post Service Headquarters has temporarily closed the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

The Korea Post Service Headquarters, under the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced on the 5th that after confirming on the 4th that an employee who had contact with the 16th confirmed case of the novel coronavirus was working at the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center, the center was temporarily closed and all employees were placed under self-quarantine.

The Korea Post Service Headquarters stated that the employee had contact with the 16th confirmed case during the recent Lunar New Year holiday. The employee is currently asymptomatic. However, as soon as the contact with the confirmed case was reported, the Korea Post Service Headquarters suspended operations at the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center. Subsequently, employees were sent home, and disinfection measures were carried out on the building, facilities, and equipment of the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center.

The Korea Post Service Headquarters explained that it is currently operating a comprehensive response system, maintaining an emergency contact system for employees and ensuring rapid reporting of any health abnormalities.

Operations at the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center are expected to resume when the quarantine period for the contacted employee ends. The Postal Sorting Center functions as a logistics center that sorts mail received at post offices. Unlike regular post offices, it does not handle mail delivery or financial services, so it is not a place frequently visited by the general public. Operations of the Gwangju Postal Sorting Center will be divided between the Central Regional Postal Logistics Center and the Yeongam Postal Sorting Center.

Park Jongseok, head of the Korea Post Service Headquarters, stated, "Since the 28th of last month, we have established a 'Comprehensive Situation Room for Novel Coronavirus Response' and have actively implemented preventive measures such as disinfecting buildings, mandating mask-wearing for counter staff, and providing hand sanitizers. We will continue to build and operate a more systematic response system to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus."