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SEOUL: South Korean health authorities said on Wednesday (May 13) that they had no immediate plans to re-establish strict rules of social distancing despite a new coronavirus outbreak in the capital of Seoul.
Authorities have been quick to track and evaluate thousands of people over the past week after a group of new infections linked to nightclubs and bars in Seoul’s Itaewon district raised fears of a second wave outbreak.
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Authorities have linked at least 119 cases of COVID-19 to nightclubs, which had just reopened as part of the country’s move to ease blockade measures to boost its struggling economy.
Deputy Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said social distancing rules were unlikely to be reinstated, as long as the daily number of new cases remained below 50 and officials could track 95 percent of all infections
“For now, we will continue to monitor how the current broadcasts are going and review whether we should reconsider our distancing policy,” Kim said at a press conference.
READ: Seoul sees COVID-19 tests increase after pledging anonymity
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The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 26 new cases as of midnight Tuesday, with 21 linked to the Seoul nightclub outbreak. That was slightly lower than the count reported in the previous two days.
The outbreak prompted officials to re-close some clubs and bars, as well as delay the reopening of schools by a week, but the government has backed its decision to ease wider restrictions by reopening offices, public facilities and sports centers. .
Seoul city officials have introduced a new policy that requires people to wear face masks during rush hour on the subway starting Wednesday.
About 20,000 people have been evaluated since the group was first revealed last week, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said at a press conference, including thousands of people geolocated by cell phone data.
More than 1,200 of those people were foreigners, Park said, prompting the city to send automatic text messages in English asking them to get tested.
Confirmed infections include coworkers, family members, and students of club attendees. Park expressed concern that the young, mobile demographics of most infected could expand the outbreak.
“This is very concerning,” he said.
CONSIDERED CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
Authorities in Incheon, a city west of Seoul, said they were considering filing a criminal complaint against an infected club player who they said did not reveal to officials that he worked at a private school.
Investigators tracked the man’s movements using data from his cell phone and determined that he worked at a school where five students and an instructor have since been confirmed to be infected. A student with private tutoring of the man and the student’s mother also tested positive, according to Incheon city officials.
“If there are more cases where people are reporting inaccurately, the government cannot take proactive measures, we cannot prevent the spread of secondary and tertiary infections, and our entire society may fall into danger,” said Kim.
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