"New Infection Route Noted"... Cumulative 130 COVID-19 Cases in Gwangju Area

On the morning of the 8th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, held a COVID-19 response briefing at the city hall briefing room and announced the position on conducting proactive comprehensive testing for Gwangju exam academies and high-risk welfare facilities. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The total cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the Gwangju area reached 130 as 8 new cases (including 1 overseas entrant) were reported on the 7th, and 1 additional case was confirmed on the morning of the 8th. The Gwangju Metropolitan City is focusing on the Geumyang officetel as the initial source of infection.

In particular, among the 8 locally infected individuals, 5 were students of the Gwangju Civil Service Exam Academy. Since no connection has been found with previously confirmed cases at Geumyang officetel or Gwangneuksa Temple, there are concerns that this could represent a new route of local infection spread.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju Metropolitan City emphasized a "temporary pause" in daily life during an online COVID-19 briefing held that morning, expressing concerns.

Mayor Lee stated, "Regarding the Gwangju Civil Service Exam Academy, this is a place where people prepare for exams such as real estate agent, housing manager, and loss assessor, with most students aged between 40 and 60. Although temperature checks were conducted before entering the classroom at that time, it was confirmed that other quarantine measures such as visitor log creation, use of hand sanitizer, social distancing within the classroom, and opening windows when the air conditioner was on were not implemented at all. Notably, it was confirmed that a significant number of students and instructors did not wear masks, so the epidemiological investigation team is focusing on identifying the specific infection route with a sense of urgency," he explained.

Gwangju City is currently conducting proactive mass testing of high-risk welfare facilities.

From the 7th to the 14th, the city is conducting comprehensive testing targeting approximately 28,200 people, including 10,700 workers and 17,500 residents at 252 facilities such as nursing homes, long-term care hospitals, residential facilities for the disabled, mental health facilities, and closed wards of psychiatric hospitals within the jurisdiction.

On the first day, the 7th, 47.1% (2,261) of 4,800 nursing home residents were tested, and no confirmed cases have been reported so far.

The city is also conducting joint inspections to ensure that the "two-week visitation ban" measure, implemented as a pre-stage to cohort isolation for all elderly nursing facilities in the area, and the prohibition of facility workers visiting other facilities or contacting outsiders except for commuting, are being properly enforced.

The mayor explained the mandatory core quarantine rules for churches nationwide, effective from 6 p.m. on the 10th.

The mandatory rules for church leaders and workers include: ▲ prohibition of all face-to-face meetings and events such as retreats, prayer meetings, revival meetings, district worship, and Bible study groups outside of regular worship services ▲ mandatory mask-wearing when singing hymns during worship ▲ management of visitor logs ▲ symptom checks and entry restrictions for symptomatic individuals ▲ designation of a quarantine manager ▲ mask-wearing ▲ disinfection of facilities before and after religious events (with record keeping) ▲ maintaining a 2-meter distance between users inside the facility (at least 1 meter during worship).

The rules for church attendees include: ▲ prohibition of all face-to-face meetings and events such as retreats, prayer meetings, revival meetings, district worship, and Bible study groups outside of regular worship services ▲ refraining from singing hymns during worship, and prohibition of loud singing or speaking such as by choirs or group prayers ▲ prohibition of food consumption inside the facility ▲ use of electronic visitor logs or manual visitor log entries ▲ cooperation with symptom checks and entry restrictions for symptomatic individuals ▲ mask-wearing ▲ maintaining a 2-meter distance between users (at least 1 meter during worship).

Violations will result in: ▲ fines of up to 3 million KRW imposed on responsible persons and users for core quarantine rule violations and administrative orders to ban gatherings ▲ active consideration of claims for compensation for treatment and testing costs if a cluster infection occurs due to intentional or serious violations of quarantine rules.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop urged, "We strongly request a 'temporary pause' in daily life, including refraining from unnecessary outings and visits to multi-use facilities, and strict compliance with quarantine rules. Especially, indoor spaces that meet the so-called '3Cs' conditions?closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings?are places with the highest risk of infection, so please refrain from visiting them," he emphasized.

He added, "Individual complacency and negligence can cause irreversible pain and damage to others and threaten the safety of the Gwangju community. Citizens are asked to become one team with the quarantine authorities," he concluded.