357 Students Tested Positive for COVID-19 in the Past Week... 26 More Than the Previous Week

Two Consecutive Weeks of Increase in May... Only 71% of Students Attend In-Person Classes

On the 12th, International Nurses Day, medical staff are collecting specimens at the temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] In the past week, 357 students tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 26 from the previous week.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 20th, from the 13th to the 19th, a total of 357 students from kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, and 42 staff members were infected with COVID-19. On average, 51 students and 6 staff members tested positive daily.

The daily average number of confirmed cases had decreased for three consecutive weeks but turned to an increasing trend for two consecutive weeks starting in May. The percentage of students attending in-person classes was 71.3%, a decrease of 1.7% compared to the previous week. The cumulative number of student COVID-19 cases in the first semester is 3,616, and staff cases total 553.

As of 10 a.m. on the day, 211 schools (1.0%) were unable to hold in-person classes due to confirmed cases, a decrease of 162 schools compared to the previous week. Schools that implemented discretionary holidays numbered 202 (1.0%).

By region, Jeju had the highest number of schools unable to hold in-person classes at 125, followed by Seoul (25), Gyeongbuk (20), and Gyeonggi (11).

At an elementary school and its attached kindergarten in Eumseong, Chungbuk, from the 14th to 15th, a total of 11 people, including 10 students and 1 staff member, tested positive. Tests were conducted on 318 related individuals, all of whom tested negative.

In the past week, 152 new university student cases and 10 university staff cases were reported, decreasing by 9 and 5 respectively from the previous week. On average, 21.7 university students and 1.4 staff members tested positive daily. The cumulative confirmed cases are 1,578 university students and 158 staff members.