Society is emphasizing a need to “pause” in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, but for some people, this pause is a luxury they cannot afford. Someone has to put bread on the table by working two jobs despite the outbreak, and another has to repeatedly work late into the night. Thus, these people are bound to fail in keeping a “social distance.”

According to the tracks of confirmed patients released by the local governments on March 12, most of the citizens were struggling to earn a living amidst the outbreak of an infectious disease.

The previous day, the securities sector in Yeouido, Seoul urgently disinfected the area. A woman who delivered green vegetable juices to the securities buildings was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. This woman was an employee at the call center in Guro-gu, where a mass infection was confirmed. She arrived for work in Yeouido at around 5:30 a.m. everyday and delivered the juices to the securities offices. She then went to work again at around 7:50 a.m. to the call center in Guro-gu. She used cheap public transportation when going to work, had lunch in the rest area inside her office building, and walked home.

A twenty-something man with COVID-19 in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do also worked two jobs from the morning to the early hours of the next day. At 11 a.m. he began making deliveries at a supermarket, and from 5 p.m. he worked at a restaurant. He cooked and waited on tables until 3 a.m. the next day. For these people, a break and keeping a social distance are distant tales.

There were also many cases where the people had to work overtime and on weekends, far from working from home or enjoying a paid leave. They were mostly businesses notorious for long working hours even before the outbreak.

A thirty-something woman who commuted to a game company in Seoul from her home in Gyeonggi-do spent a lot of time at the office until a week before she was confirmed COVID-19 positive. One day, she arrived at work at 10 a.m. and returned at around 11:40 p.m. The next day, she was at the office by 9 a.m. and returned home at 11:52 p.m. Despite the spread of the virus, the long working hours, characteristic of game companies, continued.

A female graduate student in her twenties living in Seoul also spent most of her time at her office on campus. She usually arrived at the office at 9 a.m. and worked until 10 p.m. The day after she was examined by an ear, nose, and throat specialist for symptoms, she spent twelve hours in the office, and she went to the office even on weekends.

A look at the traces of factory workers show that most of those who got off work early due to symptoms and were examined by doctors still had to be back at work the next day. No one could pause at one’s will.

Woo Seok-gyun, co-head of the Association of Physicians for Humanism said, “Infectious diseases force us to look into the shady areas of our society, and there are people who face challenges in keeping a social distance in their lives.” He further pointed out, “A government recommendation is not enough. They need to establish systems of paid leave and paid ‘care’ leave as well as financial support.”