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By Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean officials rushed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak on Monday, searching for thousands of people who may have been infected in a group of cases linked to nightclubs and bars in the capital Seoul.
South Korea has been praised for its swift and effective action on its epidemic, significantly reducing the rate of new infections in recent weeks, but the resurgence of cases has raised concerns about a second wave of infections.
Authorities reported 35 new cases as of midnight Sunday, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month.
Twenty-nine of the new cases were linked to various Seoul nightclubs and bars, many of them serving members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
That has created complications for officials trying to trace those who could be infected in a nation where homosexuality is often taboo and LGBTQ people face discrimination, including job loss and hate speech.
Authorities evaluated more than 2,450 people who went to nightclubs in the Itaewon neighborhood, but were still trying to track down an additional 3,000. Hundreds of other people who came into contact with the club’s clients have also been evaluated.
“Our main priority is to minimize the spread of infections,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a meeting with government officials, asking authorities to work with the police.
“We should find and test them quickly, and speed is key.”
The outbreak has highlighted a possible unintended consequence of South Korea’s invasive tracking methods and its disclosure of certain patient information, including its recent locations, as part of its approach to address the coronavirus.
Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho acknowledged the concern that people within the LGBTQ community could be expelled and suffer discrimination if they showed up.
“We launched the movement of confirmed patients to encourage anyone who may be exposed to testing voluntarily,” he said in a briefing.
“We urge you to refrain from distributing patients’ personal information or unfounded rumors, which not only harms them but may also be subject to punishment.”
The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said 86 people had tested positive for the Itaewon outbreak, which was made public on Friday, including people who traveled to the capital and subsequently returned home. .
Seoul Mayor Park Won-pronto pleaded with club attendees for the tests, promising that personal information would be protected and warning that people caught evading the tests could be fined.
“The nation is at risk,” Park said, noting that the city has about 700 of the country’s 10,909 cases, which include 256 deaths.
SECOND WAVE?
The increase in cases comes just as the government eased restrictions and reopened schools and businesses. Official data on Monday showed that exports and imports fell precipitously in the first 10 days of May, underscoring a bleak outlook for Asia’s fourth largest economy.
The education ministry has postponed the reopening of the secondary schools, which was slated to begin Wednesday, for a week in light of the new outbreak.
In response to calls for all teachers and staff to be screened before schools reopen, Deputy Minister of Education Park Baeg-beom said in a briefing that the government did not have the ability to screen students. 600,000 of them.
TmaxSoft said Friday that it had closed its office near Seoul and that it would examine all employees.
The 69 cases reported by the KCDC during the last 48 hours were equivalent to the total number of cases registered during the previous week.
Still, KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said that while the outbreak was worrisome, it was not appropriate to call it a second wave.
“The epidemic is ongoing,” he said.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Sangmi Cha; Editing by Jane Wardell, Robert Birsel)
