This photo, taken March 13, 2022, shows people waiting in line to receive COVID-19 tests at a temporary testing center in Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 18 (Korea Bizwire) — With a daily number of COVID-19 infections exceeding 600,000, the fear of the pandemic has grown ever higher.
However, an increasing number of people are choosing not to get tested at all as many can’t afford to stop working.
“Delivery riders are staying away from getting tested. Even if one of their family members tests positive, they just carry on with their lives, without getting tested themselves,” said a 28-year-old delivery rider surnamed Kim.
“It’s nobody’s fault when someone gets infected, but if they do, they tend to get all the blame. So we just choose not to get tested at all.”
The self-employed, day laborers, delivery people and even ordinary office workers avoid getting tested for COVID-19 because they don’t want to become a burden on their colleagues, even if they are experiencing certain symptoms.
Those who test positive still choose to work from home, without being able to rest properly.
Also, an increasing number of companies have been placing restrictions on sick leave to maintain workflow, resulting in a higher number of the so-called ‘shy omicron patients’.
“If the government wishes to treat COVID-19 just like the common cold or flu, it should also change the procedures for medical treatment, allowing COVID-19 patients to make doctor’s appointments, get vaccine shots and get prescriptions for medicine, just like the flu,” aid Chun Eun-mi, a professor at the Ewha Womans University Medical Center.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
