Incheon Office of Education Orders All 3rd-Year High School Students to Go Home in 66 Schools Across 5 Districts (Comprehensive)

Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] On the 20th, when the return to school for 3rd-year high school students began, five out of ten districts in Incheon completely suspended in-person attendance at high schools.

The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 20th that all 3rd-year students at 66 high schools in Michuhol-gu, Jung-gu, Dong-gu, Namdong-gu, and Yeonsu-gu were sent home.

The other five districts continued with in-person attendance as usual. The Office of Education decided to determine the future attendance of these schools in consultation with quarantine authorities.

An official from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "Two high school students who tested positive on this day had visited multiple multi-use facilities, and there are many unconfirmed movement paths. There is a high possibility that students used these facilities, and under such circumstances, concerns about infection during school attendance increased, so all were sent home."

On this day in Incheon, two 3rd-year students at Inhang High School tested positive for COVID-19 related to a private academy instructor. As a result, remote classes were conducted instead of in-person attendance at their school and two nearby high schools.

Incheon City announced that on the 6th, two 3rd-year students including A (18), who visited a karaoke room on the 2nd floor of Vision Plaza building in Yonghyeon-dong, Michuhol-gu, tested positive for COVID-19.

This karaoke room was previously visited on the 6th by a private academy instructor B (25, Incheon case number 102), who had visited the Itaewon club, along with his student (3rd-year high school student, Incheon case number 119) and the student's friend (Incheon case number 122).

A and others residing in Michuhol-gu are friends attending Inhang High School. After receiving a notification text sent by Incheon City, they went to the health center on the 19th for specimen testing and were confirmed positive for COVID-19 on this day.

Accordingly, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education ordered Inhang High School and nearby Jeongseok Aviation High School and Inha University Affiliated High School not to attend school in person and to conduct remote classes on this day.

The Office of Education also recommended that 3rd-year students refrain from attending school if they had visited the PC rooms and karaoke rooms where confirmed cases occurred, through a safety notification text sent the previous day.