"With the College Scholastic Ability Test Approaching" ... Seoul Surpasses 1,000 Confirmed Cases in One Week

From Teacher Certification Exam Academies to Aerobics Centers, Saunas, and Churches, Cluster Infections Continue
Student Confirmed Cases Surge Due to Family Transmission... Examinees on High Alert

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Amid the nationwide surge of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of confirmed cases in the Seoul area has soared past 1,000 in just one week, pushing the situation to its worst. Yesterday alone, by 6 p.m., an additional 150 cases were reported, marking the highest tally ever recorded for that time frame.

According to Seoul City on the 28th, from midnight on the 21st, a weekend day, to 6 p.m. on the 27th, the total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Seoul increased by 1,060 over the week. Since the first confirmed case in Seoul on January 23 of this year, 12.5% of the cumulative 8,470 cases have been reported in the past week.

Expanding the period to the last ten days, the number of confirmed cases since the 18th of this month totals 1,457, accounting for 17.2% of Seoul's cumulative confirmed cases.

Compared to the 908 cases reported in the week following the August 15 Liberation Day downtown rally (August 15?21), the number of confirmed cases during the same period has surged even more sharply. This figure exceeds by more than 1,000 the cumulative confirmed cases in Daegu (7,225), which had previously recorded the highest number due to the March Shincheonji Church cluster infection.

From midnight to 6 p.m. on the 27th, over 18 hours, 153 new cases were confirmed, surpassing the 129 cases recorded during the same time frame on the 25th, when Seoul's daily confirmed cases peaked at 213. Following the 25th and 26th, the daily confirmed cases are likely to exceed 200 again.

The infection routes of confirmed cases have expanded from crowded places such as the Noryangjin civil service exam academy in Dongjak-gu and Hongdae Saegyo Church in Mapo-gu to everyday locations including saunas (Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu), gyms (Gangnam-gu), aerobics academies (Gangseo-gu), indoor sports facilities (Jungnang-gu), and elderly care facilities (Seodaemun-gu and Seongdong-gu). Notably, new cases have been reported daily in most of Seoul's 25 districts, indicating that the spread is occurring citywide rather than in specific areas. The health authorities analyze that transmission through contact with family and acquaintances is occurring on all fronts.

Concerns are also rising as the number of student cases increases ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test scheduled for the 3rd of next month. Most student infections are understood to have originated from infected family members, but since students spend long hours in the same spaces at schools or academies and share cafeterias and restrooms, the possibility of further transmission is high.

On the 27th alone, 65 elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul urgently suspended in-person classes due to confirmed cases, contacts, and quarantine measures. Additionally, confirmed cases have emerged at a high school with a dormitory in Guro-gu and a large cram school in Gangnam-gu, causing heightened anxiety among examinees and parents.

Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education strongly recommended switching all high schools in the district to remote learning starting from the 19th, focusing on the safety of examinees and the quarantine management of schools used as test sites. Seoul City also entered a 'Ten Million Citizens Emergency Pause Period,' implementing Level 2 social distancing measures, shortening bus and subway operations after 10 p.m., and urging residents to refrain from all gatherings and outings on weekends.

Park Yu-mi, Director of the Seoul City Citizen Health Bureau (Quarantine Controller), stated, "Since many confirmed cases have recently occurred in indoor sports facilities and bathhouses, we are discussing strengthened quarantine measures." She emphasized, "With daily cases reaching the 200s and less than a week remaining until the College Scholastic Ability Test, all citizens must unite in practicing social distancing."