Aflac employee based in Japan tests positive for coronavirus, company says
Columbus, Georgia-based insurer Aflac reported Wednesday that an employee at its Kobe, Japan, call center tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
In a translated press release, Aflac said the employee was a temporary staff member of its subsidiary Aflac Life Insurance Japan. The employee’s test came back positive after attending an event in Osaka where multiple other people contracted the virus.
The employee “had no face-to-face interactions with customers.” The Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported the infection.
Jon Sullivan, a spokesperson for Aflac, confirmed the report and told the Ledger-Enquirer Wednesday that the company limited international travel in both the U.S. and Japan “to only critical instances” beginning several weeks ago.
The travel restrictions are expected to be in place until at least March 31. The company is using alternative types of communication such as video conferencing and teleconferencing to mitigate risk of the virus spreading, Sullivan said.
Operations at the Kobe call center are unaffected, and the center is one of the company’s multiple call centers in Japan. Aflac Japan continues to operate as normal, the company said.
The company said it has taken action to prevent infection spread and will take other necessary measures in cooperation with health officials.
The infected person is not allowed to go to the office, and ten others who were in close contact with the infected employee must stay at home for two weeks. Their health conditions will be monitored, the company said.
Aflac does extensive business in Japan. According to the company’s 2019 annual report, Aflac Japan accounted for nearly 70% of the company’s total revenues.
COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. It first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Georgia health officials said symptoms of the illness appear within two to 14 days after exposure and can include fever, cough, runny nose and difficulty breathing.
As of March 3, the World Health Organization reported 90,870 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed globally. More than 80,000 were in China.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this employee,” Sullivan said.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 2:15 PM.