Daejeon City is holding an emergency press conference due to additional confirmed COVID-19 cases. Photo by Daejeon City
[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Daejeon area has increased to a total of three. The Daejeon city government is focusing on preventing the spread of the infectious disease by tracking the movements of confirmed patients and suspending the operation of city buses that the confirmed patients had boarded.
On the 23rd, the city held a briefing chaired by Deputy Mayor Jeong Yoon-gi and announced that after the first confirmed patient was identified on the 21st, a second patient was confirmed on the 22nd, and a third patient was added on the 23rd.
According to the city, the second confirmed patient is a 65-year-old woman residing in Yuseong-gu with no history of overseas travel.
However, after attending a gathering in Gyeongju from the 15th to the 17th with eight people including an acquaintance who recently returned from Thailand (residing in Daegu), she developed a fever (38.5°C) and body aches starting on the 20th. She received treatment at an internal medicine clinic in Yuseong-gu and underwent testing at the Yuseong-gu Public Health Center screening clinic around 4 p.m. on the 21st, with a final positive diagnosis confirmed on the 22nd.
The third confirmed patient is the husband (64) of the second patient, who was reported to have accompanied his wife on all schedules from the 15th until the confirmation of infection. After self-quarantine, he underwent testing at the Health and Environment Research Institute, which returned a first positive result, and a second test by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a final positive diagnosis in the early hours of the 23rd, according to the city.
Deputy Mayor Jeong stated, “The city is identifying and self-quarantining contacts who met with confirmed patients 1 through 3, and has completed disinfection of medical institutions visited by the patients as well as the interiors of their homes. Currently, we are focusing on in-depth epidemiological investigations and identifying additional contacts.”
The city also identified the public transportation routes used by the second and third confirmed patients and initiated disinfection measures. After returning to Daejeon around 1 p.m. on the 17th, they visited a restaurant in Yuseong-gu, Lotte Mart Noeun branch, a clinic, a pharmacy, and the Woori Bank Banseok-dong branch. During their travels, they used the subway and city bus number 116. On the 19th, they took a train (from Daejeon Station) to Seoul, met with their child there, and returned.
The city has completed disinfection of the subway cars and stations used by the confirmed patients, suspended operation of the city buses they boarded, and deployed reserve vehicles as replacements.
Meanwhile, as the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases increases, the city plans to take measures such as temporarily closing open public spaces within the region and restricting access to city hall offices to prevent further spread.
Accordingly, starting from the 24th, the Sky Library (20th floor) and the Sky Library (Hope Reading Room) inside the city hall building will be closed, and exhibitions held on the 1st and 2nd floors will be temporarily suspended. Additionally, visitor access to all offices within the building will be restricted.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
