[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] As a cluster outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred at a gathering of employees of the famous fast-food chain Lotteria, the number of confirmed cases continues to rise over time.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of 6 p.m. on the 12th, the total number of confirmed cases related to the 'Seoul Lotteria employee gathering' is 11. This is an increase of 4 from the 7 confirmed cases announced at noon that day.
According to Seoul City and Gwangjin-gu, Lotteria employees, including branch managers from city locations, gathered on the afternoon of the 6th at the Lotteria Gunja Station branch for a meeting. Ten people attended the meeting at that time.
After the meeting, the attendees had a meal at a jokbal (pig's trotters) restaurant on Neungdong-ro, then moved to 'Chicken Bang-i Neungdong branch.' At this point, the number of attendees increased to a total of 19.
Subsequently, one attendee residing in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed positive for COVID-19 the previous day, and additional infection cases have been following.
Since nearly 20 people attended the gathering and a considerable amount of time has passed since the meeting, there is a possibility that more confirmed cases will emerge, especially among those who had contact with the attendees.
A CDCH official explained, "According to the investigation so far, they did not wear masks during the long meeting," adding, "We are conducting an investigation into the exact infection route and contacts."
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