Incheon Academy Instructor Shows Strong Transmission Power... 3rd and 4th Wave Infections Among Taxi Drivers and Home Tutors

As of the 19th, 25 confirmed cases... Karaoke rooms, PC rooms, taxi passengers, etc.
64 students and fellow teachers taught by a home tutor self-quarantined
2 taxi drivers confirmed positive... Concerns over additional infections among passengers

The private academy in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, where a tutor diagnosed with COVID-19 worked. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Community transmission caused by an Incheon academy instructor infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) after visiting a club in Itaewon, Seoul, is intensifying. Notably, among the confirmed cases are two taxi drivers and one home tutor, raising concerns about further infections among their contacts.

According to Incheon City on the 19th, the number of confirmed cases infected by academy instructor A (25), Incheon patient number 102, has increased to 25 people (including one in Yongin City), including 12 students. Eight new infections were reported on this day alone.

B (17), a resident of Michuhol-gu, and his mother were confirmed positive in the morning, followed by B’s father, C (49), a private taxi driver, testing positive for COVID-19 in the afternoon.

B and C visited a karaoke room inside Vision Plaza in Yonghyeon-dong, Michuhol-gu, on the 6th, and B’s mother, D (46), was confirmed infected after contact with her son. This karaoke room was also visited by two high school students infected by academy instructor A.

Incheon City sent safety alert messages advising those who visited the karaoke room between 3 p.m. on the 6th and midnight on the 7th to get tested at health centers. B’s family reportedly followed this guidance and underwent testing.

The concern is that C and D, being a private taxi driver and a home tutor respectively, could potentially cause additional infections among their contacts.

Incheon City conducted specimen tests and imposed self-quarantine on 34 students receiving lessons from D and 30 fellow home tutors. Furthermore, to prevent further spread, the local home tutoring center in Yeonsu-gu where D works was disinfected and subsequently closed.

If confirmed cases arise among the students or fellow tutors, a full investigation targeting all students and parents attending the home tutoring sessions will be conducted.

The city also confirmed that C continued to drive his taxi after visiting the karaoke room on the 6th and plans to obtain the list of passengers who paid by card to conduct specimen testing.

Additionally, based on taxi taximeter (operation record device) data, the taxi’s travel routes will be identified and notified via safety messages, enabling cash-paying passengers to voluntarily undergo testing.

Earlier, on the 17th, another private taxi driver, E (66), who had driven academy instructor A, was confirmed positive, and testing is underway for passengers who rode in his taxi. Due to E’s infection, his wife (67) and his 4-year-old grandson living in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, also tested positive for COVID-19.

E picked up academy instructor A on the 4th and continued operating his taxi until the 17th. Among the taxi passengers, a Chinese couple residing in Yeonsu-gu tested positive on the 19th, raising concerns about third- and fourth-generation infections among taxi passengers and their contacts.

Thus, COVID-19 cases originating from the Itaewon club continue to spread in Incheon through transmission by academy instructor A.

A visited King Club in Itaewon, Seoul, from the 1st to the 3rd and tested positive for COVID-19 on the 9th. During the initial epidemiological investigation by health authorities, A concealed his occupation and provided false information about his movements, leading to his being reported to Incheon City for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.