Seoul City Urgently Provides 3.22 Million Masks to Delivery and Security Workers

10 to 50 Masks Provided Per Person to Special Employment, Platform, and Call Center Workers Facing Increased Workload Due to Strengthened Social Distancing

Last month on the 27th, delivery workers were sorting packages at the Hanjin Delivery Mapo Terminal in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 25th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will urgently provide 3.22 million masks to delivery and call center workers whose workload has increased due to strengthened social distancing measures, as well as to designated drivers, domestic workers, and security workers who continuously engage in face-to-face work.

First, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping and food delivery have increased, and the city plans to provide 30 KF94 masks (including cloth masks) per person to about 100,000 special employment and platform workers, such as food delivery workers, courier workers who are working nonstop, and designated drivers who face unspecified citizens in confined spaces. The total amount of support is 2,912,000 masks.

The masks will be distributed to affiliated workers through major special employment and freelancer labor unions (a total of 1.27 million masks) and platform company user organizations (a total of 530,000 masks). Workers who are not union members or operate as individuals can receive masks (a total of 1,112,000 masks) by visiting one of the five Seoul mobile worker rest areas (Seocho, Bukchang, Hapjeong, Sangam, Bulgwang).

Cloth masks made by sewing workers (12,000 KF-certified filter exchangeable masks) also have cold protection functions and will be mainly distributed to mobile workers such as designated drivers who mostly work late at night.

KF94 masks have already been provided to apartment security workers who have continuous face-to-face contact with residents. After identifying demand mainly through self-help organizations of apartment security workers at district labor comprehensive support centers, masks were distributed to 12,500 people (a total of 125,000 masks), with 10 masks per person.

In addition, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Seoul is also improving the work environment of high-risk close-contact cleaning workers’ rest areas and call centers.

Each district supports up to 15 million KRW, totaling 375 million KRW, to equip 322 living waste disposal company rest facilities in Seoul with infection prevention items such as air purifiers and dehumidifiers. The city added, "Cleaning workers not only have direct contact with citizens but also have a wide range of movement within the area and often work late at night or early morning, so more thorough and meticulous support was necessary."

For call center workers working in close, dense, and enclosed environments, the city supports up to 5 million KRW per company for the purchase of air purifiers, masks, simple partitions, thermometers, and hand sanitizers. For call centers with fewer than 50 employees, 70% of the infection prevention item purchase cost (up to 20 million KRW) is supported by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Seoul City additionally provides 20% of the remaining cost (up to 5 million KRW).

Seo Sung-man, Seoul’s Labor and Livelihood Policy Officer, said, "As the spread of COVID-19 accelerates, we are urgently distributing masks to prevent infections among workers in blind spots. In addition, we will work to protect workers’ health and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by improving the work environment for essential workers such as sanitation workers who are indispensable in our surroundings."