Italy: 9 Additional 'Asymptomatic' Korean Residents Test Positive... 11 Confirmed Cases out of 514

Overseas Koreans and expatriates from the Milan area in Italy are returning to Korea on the 1st via a charter flight, arriving at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. Upon arrival, they all move to a designated facility to undergo COVID-19 testing. If everyone tests negative, they proceed to self-quarantine, but if even one person tests positive, all will be placed in facility quarantine for 14 days. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Among the Korean residents who returned from Italy on the 1st and 2nd, 9 asymptomatic individuals tested positive for COVID-19. So far, a total of 11 out of 514 returnees have been confirmed positive.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 4th, among the 514 Korean residents who returned from Italy, 9 asymptomatic individuals tested positive for COVID-19. Six tested positive among the first group returning on the 1st, and three among the second group returning on the 2nd.

Earlier testing of symptomatic individuals identified one confirmed case each from the first and second groups. This brings the total confirmed cases among the 514 returnees from Italy to 11.

However, since 4 asymptomatic individuals from the first group received inconclusive results and are scheduled for retesting, the number of confirmed cases among the Italian returnees may increase. One individual from the second group who was subject to retesting was finally confirmed negative.

The first group of returnees from Italy is currently staying at The White Hotel in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon, while the second group is at the Woongjeong Public Officials Training Institute in Cheonan-si, Chungnam. Confirmed cases are assigned to medical institutions or residential treatment centers.