Busan City Advises Visitors to Yeonsan-dong Officetel to Consult Health Center Despite Not Being a Multi-use Facility
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] An officetel in Busan, where the movement paths of five COVID-19 confirmed cases overlapped according to epidemiological investigations, remains shrouded in mystery as to whether it will become a super-spreader source.
According to Busan city health authorities on the 30th, after tracking the movement paths of five confirmed cases (Busan Nos. 285, 288, 290, 291, 292), it was found that these five individuals visited “SK View Complex 1 Officetel Building 102, Unit 209” in Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje-gu, Busan, between the 17th and 28th of last month.
This location, which Busan city publicly disclosed along with the times and encouraged people to consult health centers via text messages, was an officetel where the movement paths of five confirmed cases overlapped over a total of 12 days.
A health official stated, “The exact nature of this officetel has not yet been revealed,” and explained, “Since it is a place where the movement paths of five confirmed cases overlap, it was disclosed to inform people who visited this location to get tested.”
Busan No. 285, a woman in her 60s residing in Sasang-gu, tested positive on the 28th and is a ‘dark figure’ patient whose infection route has not yet been identified.
No. 288, who had contact with No. 285, was confirmed positive the next day, on the 29th. Nos. 290 and 291, who were also confirmed positive on the 29th, were initially classified as ‘others’ with unknown infection sources at the time.
No. 292 was found to have had contact with No. 285 and tested positive on the 30th. The cases of Nos. 290 and 291, initially classified as ‘dark figure’ patients under ‘others,’ were later changed to have been infected through contact with either No. 285 or No. 292.
The infections originating from No. 285 reached a total of eight people over three days. These individuals are men and women in their 60s and 70s residing in Sasang, Suyeong, Geumjeong, Buk-gu, and other areas. Some are identified as couples.
Among the eight confirmed cases related to No. 285, five are known to have visited this officetel, Unit 209.
There is speculation that this officetel visited by the five might be an office related to multi-level marketing or a workspace related to stock trading.
The health authorities said, “Since the involved parties have not clearly explained, we have not yet identified their relationships or the exact nature of the officetel space.”
A health official expressed concern, saying, “Since five confirmed cases emerged from a place that is not a multi-use facility, this officetel might become another ‘super-spreader’ source.”
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