Haeundae Sejinsa confirmed, working a week despite symptoms, contacting 1,500 people

The new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) is spreading rapidly in the form of a small group infection. As new cases of infection appear one after another in the spaces where people live, such as bathrooms, nursing homes, churches, etc., there is a high possibility that the COVID-19 quarantine will enter a long war.

○ Three shrines in Busan contacted 1,500 people for symptom referral

At the Haeundae Hot Spring Center in Busan, a priestess was confirmed on the 27th. On the 15th, the three shrines held a family reunion in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, and it appears that they became infected when they encountered a confirmed patient in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. After attending the meeting, I had suspicious symptoms such as fever on the 18th, but I worked at the hot spring center until the 24th. In this process, it is revealed that she has been in contact with around 1,500 people, including clients and employees, for so there is concern for a large-scale outbreak. The hot spring center where Sejinsa worked has 470 female members, and it is close to Haeundae beach, so many tourists visit it. An additional colleague was also confirmed the day after the Sejinsa’s confirmation.

During this period, the city of Busan informed visitors that they visited the women’s bathroom on the fourth floor to undergo a diagnostic test. The hot springs center was closed from the 27th to the 10th of the following month. The city of Busan issued an administrative order banning gatherings for 819 public toilets in Busan until the 6th of next month.

Eighteen people, including residents and employees, were infected in two nursing homes in a building in Namyangju, Gyeonggi province. A nursing assistant in her 50s was confirmed for the first time on the 27th, and 13 residents and 4 employees were confirmed the next day. There are only eight nursing homes in this building, and there is a sauna, a children’s pool, and a restaurant. The possibility of a new infection is high due to the frequent visits of the elderly and young children who are vulnerable to infection. Quarantine authorities have quarantined the building in a cohort (same group). Samples of 205 people are also being analyzed, including residents and staff of 8 nursing homes.

○ Church-initiated group infection and outbreak

The confirmed cumulative cases of Sarangjeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul exceeded 970 as of 12 noon on the 28th. Group church infections also continue in Incheon, Gwangju, etc. At Bitgaon Church in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 21 confirmed patients came out in one day. Nowon-gu sent a disaster letter around 11 am that day, stating that “members who attended the service from the 16th to the 18th should be examined at the screening clinic.” Nowon-gu and the quarantine authorities see A, a church member in his 40s who attended the service on the 16th, as the first confirmed case, and they are tracking the exact movement. After Mr. A was confirmed on the 22nd, a 70-year-old father and a 90-year-old grandmother were confirmed on the 24th and 25th, respectively. They are both also members of this church. Quarantine authorities estimate that 755 people have directly or indirectly contacted the confirmed person and are analyzing the specimen. A Nowon-koo official said: “A new epidemiological investigation is underway on the route where Mr. A was infected.”

There were also 10 confirmed cases at the ‘Seoul Theological Seminary’. The first confirmed case was Mr. B, a man in his 40s living in Dongjak-gu, and was classified as a confirmed case on the 26th. The exact route of infection for Mr. B. has not yet been determined.

It is known that the seminar held several small prayer meetings on the 19th and 26th. A total of 17 people, including Mr. B, attended the prayer meeting during this period. Excluding 10 confirmed cases, 7 are currently awaiting test results. An official from Dongjak-gu said, “I know that 17 people did not attend the prayer meeting at the same time, but divided them into small groups.”

Eung-Hyung Cho [email protected] / Busan = Yong-hui Cho / Yang-ju Nam = Reporter Kyung-jin Lee