Seoul Students and Staff 70,000 Confirmed Cases in a Week... Number of Attending Students Actually Increases

Confirmed Student Cases Increase by 11,364 Compared to Previous Week
Attendance Rate at 77%, Up 2.3%p from Last Week
One Test Kit to Be Distributed Per Student Starting 3rd Week of April
Additional Budget of 50.6 Billion KRW Allocated for Kit Purchases and School Disinfection

On the 16th, students are lining up to receive on-site mobile PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for COVID-19 response at Inheon Middle School in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Nearly 70,000 students and staff members in Seoul tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week. While the number of confirmed cases is rising, the number of schools and students attending in person has actually increased.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that between the 14th and 20th, 64,048 students and 5,750 staff members tested positive. The daily average of confirmed cases approached 10,000. Compared to the previous week, student cases increased by 11,364 and staff cases by 1,161.

Among the 2,109 schools in Seoul, 77.2% (1,628 schools) had full in-person attendance as of the 21st. This is a 2.3 percentage point increase from the 14th. The number of students attending in person rose by 16,564 to 721,110 compared to the previous week (14th). However, due to the surge in cases at special schools, the proportion of remote classes across all grades increased from 3.2% to 6.2%.

Ko Hyo-seon, Director of Educational Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, "As the COVID-19 situation has extended beyond two years, students who entered first grade have not been able to experience normal school life until graduation. Both students and parents feel a sense of crisis and strongly desire in-person attendance. Although confirmed cases are increasing in schools, social distancing measures are being relaxed across society, and schools are responding with proactive measures such as self-testing kits to minimize learning loss."

The sharp increase in confirmed cases among teachers continues to cause difficulties in securing substitute teachers at schools. Starting from the 21st, about 300 education professionals including supervisors and specialists from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education were deployed as substitute instructors. Regional education offices have secured a pool of approximately 800 instructors, including retired teachers, certified teachers, and those on leave or secondment.

Superintendent Cho stated, "We are lowering the standards for hiring contract teachers, simplifying procedures, and building the largest possible pool of personnel, but these efforts alone are insufficient."

To maintain proactive testing using rapid antigen test kits in April, kits will be distributed. Until the second week of April, two kits per student and one per staff member will be provided weekly, and from the third week, one kit per person weekly. A supplementary budget proposal totaling 50.6 billion KRW, including 40 billion KRW for kit purchases and school disinfection, has been submitted to the city council.

Ham Hye-seong, Director of Lifelong Career Education at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "For the third and fourth weeks of April, it was decided to distribute one kit per student, in line with other regions. The Ministry of Education will cover 30% of the budget, and we will cover 70%. If testing frequency changes to once a week, it will be possible to recommend testing only when symptoms appear."

If the Omicron variant continues to spread severely or additional kits are needed after April, the option to provide two kits per week is also being considered. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to secure an additional six weeks’ supply of kits to prepare for any further outbreaks after April.

Seoul Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon explained, "We will not stop providing rapid antigen test kits after April. If the outbreak worsens or additional kits are needed, two kits per week may be distributed. If saliva-based rapid PCR testing is approved, the budget could be used accordingly."