Preventive Measures against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do

In the early stage of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be an important transmission consideration. The study aimed to identify the pattern of COVID-19 prevention measures during the outbreaks in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do at the early stage of COVID-19. Moreover, we investigated whether SME size and past experiences affected the preventive measures implemented in the region. A survey detailing the general characteristics and implementation of 12 preventive activities were performed was conducted in 122 SMEs in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey was analyzed by size and operation period. The study subjects consisted of 53 (43.4%) workplaces with 1–5 employees, 50 (40.9%) workplaces with 6–30 employees, and 19 (15.6%) workplaces with 31–49 employees. The lowest 3 items among those surveyed were ‘symptomatic workers to stay home for 3–4 days’ (17.2%), ‘work remotely’ (18.9%), and ‘video meetings’ (20.5%). There were significant differences in the rate of several preventive measures implemented. The larger sized SMEs, the higher the number of implementations (p