COVID-19 Hits Logistics Centers... Market Kurly Refrigerated Center Employee Tests Positive

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Market Kurly, the operator of Market Kurly, announced on the 24th that a temporary employee who reported to the refrigerated center in Jangji-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 on the 27th.

According to Kurly, it is presumed that this confirmed case was infected by a family member who tested positive on the 25th.

Kurly explained that the confirmed case was a part-time worker who worked only one day on the 24th, and upon reviewing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the day, the employee was seen working while wearing a mask and gloves.

Accordingly, Kurly conducted disinfection of all areas within the refrigerated center in the early hours of the 25th and, after consultation with health authorities, decided not to close the refrigerated center.

A Kurly official stated that they are investigating four people who had a high possibility of contact with the confirmed case and will conduct COVID-19 tests and self-quarantine for all related employees.

Meanwhile, with the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases recently approaching 600, the distribution industry is on high alert regarding confirmed cases occurring in logistics centers. In October, Kurly closed the work area of an employee who tested positive while working at the Hwado frozen center in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Additionally, in August, the refrigerated center was temporarily closed due to a confirmed COVID-19 case. At that time, disruptions in logistics center operations and a surge in orders caused some products to sell out early and delivery delays, prompting CEO Seula Kim to post an apology statement personally.

Furthermore, in May and June, confirmed cases occurred at the logistics centers of BGF Retail and Emart24, respectively, causing some delivery disruptions. In August, a delivery driver at SSG.com, the integrated online mall of Shinsegae Group, tested positive for COVID-19 at its online-only logistics center.

An industry official said, "We conduct regular daily disinfection measures at logistics centers, and employees undergo temperature checks upon entry and exit, doing their best to prevent COVID-19 infections."