CLUSTER INFECTIONS AT DEPARTMENT STORES

[Anchor Lead]

Department stores in Korea are becoming coronavirus hot spots. The department store labor union is accusing management of insufficient virus prevention efforts. Meanwhile some shopping malls are now requiring customers’ QR codes at the entrance.

[Pkg]

The luxury hall of Galleria Department Store in Gangnam, Seoul, is closed, as three of its sales clerks have contracted COVID-19. The first case was confirmed here last week. The second basement floor of The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido is also closed as one of its workers has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Department stores in Seoul are increasingly becoming the hot spots of coronavirus outbreaks.

[Soundbite] Kang Do-han(Seoul resident) : "I do feel anxious sometimes, especially when using shopping carts, which are used by many other people. It makes me wonder if other customers here take precautions."

[Soundbite] Kang Yu-jin(Seoul resident) : "I got tested because there was an outbreak near my workplace. The line at the screening station was very long. Everyone was worried."

The Trade Center branch of Hyundai Department Store, where more than 100 cases were confirmed, has re-opened after a week of closure.

[Soundbite] "Verified."

It’s the first shopping facility in Korea to require all customers present their QR codes at the entrance. Shinsegae Department Store is also considering implementing the QR rule. Some in the department store labor union say management failed to take proper measures to prevent the outbreaks.

[Soundbite] Ha In-joo(Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) : "When infected customers visited a mall, there were no clear criteria as to which area or floor to disinfect, who had to get tested, and which stores to close."

The Gangnam District Ward is conducting COVID-19 testing on workers at nine large shopping facilities located in the district to detect more cases.