Dongducheon-si Issues 'COVID-19 Testing Administrative Order' for Employers Hiring Foreign Workers

Administrative Order to Be Enforced Until the 10th... Review of Reimbursement Claims for Violations

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] On the 3rd, Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province issued an administrative order requiring all foreign workers employed by business owners to undergo COVID-19 diagnostic testing.

According to Dongducheon City on the day, this administrative order will be implemented until the 10th to prevent cluster infections at workplaces employing foreigners and to curb the spread of infections in the local community.

Under the administrative order, business owners employing foreigners must ensure that all foreign workers at their workplaces receive COVID-19 testing.

Violations of the administrative order will result in prosecution under the "Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act" (a fine of up to 2 million KRW), and the city may claim compensation for all quarantine costs related to testing, investigation, and treatment arising from the violation and the order.

Mayor Choi Yong-deok urged, "Since the purpose of this administrative order is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community, business owners employing foreigners must ensure that foreign workers at their workplaces undergo COVID-19 diagnostic testing."

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters also stated at the regular briefing on the same day, "We will conduct on-site inspections of dormitories for foreign workers, which are vulnerable to cluster infections."

The city plans to cooperate with related agencies to inspect the 3Cs (crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined spaces) work environment at workplaces employing foreign workers, monitor symptomatic individuals, and check compliance with quarantine rules such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

Meanwhile, the city reported a total of 105 confirmed cases over two days since the 1st, of which 96 were foreigners and 9 were Koreans.

The city is currently conducting mass testing targeting 3,966 registered foreigners in the area.