Jeju Island "Please Do Not Come for Group Training"... Jinju Lee-Tongjang COVID-19 Local Infection Emergency

Jinju Lee-Tongjang Training Group Contact Increases Local Confirmed Cases to 4 and Over 100 Contacts

Dolharubang wearing a mask. Photo by Park Chang-won (Jeju)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Jeju who were infected after contact or re-contact with the Jinju district heads training group from Gyeongnam has increased to four. In particular, it has been revealed that there are more than 100 contacts related to these confirmed cases, raising concerns about community transmission.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province held a COVID-19 briefing at the provincial government press room at 5 p.m. on the 27th, announcing that as of 5 p.m. on the 27th, a total of four confirmed cases (Nos. 73, 74, 75, and 76) have been identified in the province in connection with the Jinju district heads training group from Gyeongsangnam-do.

Especially, after the direct contact with the Jinju district heads delegation who traveled to Jeju from the 16th to the 18th, the first confirmed case No. 73 was identified, followed by three additional cases (Nos. 74, 75, and 76) in the province, raising concerns about local transmission and triggering emergency quarantine measures.

Jeju Province estimates that the number of contacts with case No. 73, including those in other regions, ranges from at least 50 to as many as 100. Contacts related to case No. 76 currently number 10, including coworkers and family members.

However, due to the occupational nature of case No. 76, who works as a massage therapist at a massage shop located in Jeju City, the province does not rule out the possibility of additional contacts. According to Jeju Province, there are about 70 freelance massage therapists working at this massage shop.

Lee Seung-taek, an epidemiological investigator from Jeju Province, stated, "Since case No. 76 works in a multi-use facility, we expect many contacts, but it is difficult to review all CCTV footage within the facility, so we are conducting tests on all related persons." He added, "Testing is underway for about 70 freelance massage therapists, and if all test negative, we believe there will be no transmission at this point. This is a critical moment."

Meanwhile, Jeju Province officially requested the central government, local governments, and related public institutions on the 27th to refrain from holding group training events in Jeju to block COVID-19 transmission.

This is based on the judgment that group training, workshops, and tourism involve diverse and complex movement patterns of group travelers, making rapid epidemiological investigations difficult and potentially leading to sporadic additional infections in the community.

Im Tae-bong, the controller of the Provincial Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, urged, "Until the third wave subsides, public sectors should refrain from group training and tourism as much as possible and take the lead in practicing social distancing to prevent community spread."