Park Gyu-woong, Director of the Health and Sports Bureau of Incheon City, is holding a press conference on the 25th to explain the circumstances of additional COVID-19 confirmed cases. [Photo by Incheon City]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A tourist guide in his 50s in Incheon initially tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) but tested positive 12 days later.
Incheon City announced on the 25th that Mr. A (58, male), residing in Michuhol-gu, tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the total number of confirmed cases in Incheon has increased to two, following a woman in her 60s living in Bupyeong-gu who is a Shincheonji Church member and tested positive on the 22nd.
According to the city, Mr. A worked as a tour guide for Chinese tourists from the 23rd to the 26th of last month. On the 31st of the same month, he developed symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat. On the 13th, he visited the screening clinic at Sarang Hospital in Michuhol-gu and underwent a COVID-19 test, which came back negative.
However, as his symptoms persisted, Mr. A returned to Sarang Hospital on the 23rd for a second specimen collection test, and on the 25th at 1:28 PM, he was confirmed positive. After the diagnosis, Mr. A was immediately transferred to Inha University Hospital, where he is receiving isolated treatment.
The city has placed Mr. A’s mother, as well as the doctors and nurses who treated him at the Sarang Hospital screening clinic, under self-quarantine and is currently tracing Mr. A’s contacts and movements.
An Incheon city official explained, "It needs further investigation to determine whether Mr. A was infected by Chinese travelers or through local transmission," adding, "Mr. A is not a Shincheonji Church member and has never visited Daegu or the Gyeongbuk region."
Earlier in Incheon, on the 22nd, Ms. B, a 61-year-old woman living in Bupyeong-gu, tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently receiving isolated treatment at Incheon Medical Center. It was confirmed that Ms. B attended a Shincheonji Church gathering in Daegu from the 14th to the 17th.
Meanwhile, Incheon City has closed 68 Shincheonji churches and related facilities in the region as of this day.
The city stated that after publicly disclosing the locations of 65 Shincheonji churches the previous day, it received citizen reports and conducted on-site inspections, identifying three additional facilities related to the Shincheonji Matthew faction, which were also closed.
The city plans to continuously monitor whether these facilities remain closed and will conduct additional disinfection where necessary.
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