Seoul City Orders Foreign Workers To Get Tested For COVID-19

Reporter Ron Chang ㅣ 2021-03-16 18:17

Foreign workers in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, line up to get tested for COVID-19, following an administrative order, on March 16, 2021. (Photo: Yonhap News)

[Anchor]

Foreign workers in Seoul have been ordered to get tested for COVID-19 at free screening centers across the city.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's administrative order was handed down Tuesday as part of broader quarantine measures aimed at containing cluster infections in the capital region.

Ron Chang reports.

[Reporter]

Starting Wednesday, all foreign workers in Seoul must get tested for COVID-19 by the end of the month.

The order also applies to employers with at least one foreign worker.

Officials said businesses that do not comply will be slapped with fines.

This follows similar moves made by Gyeonggi Province last week.

The nearby provincial government also announced today that from March 22 to April 30, foreigners seeking employment must test negative for COVID-19 and show proof of their result in order for companies to be allowed to hire them.

Officials have said the orders are not discriminatory but seek to detect potential cases and reduce risks of group infections, which have risen at workplaces, factory dorms, and multi-use facilities in recent weeks.

Health authorities also plan to step up onsite inspections at parks, department stores, traditional markets and other places frequented by crowds as more people are expected to get out of the house to enjoy the spring weather.