These cluster infections are likely going to keep happening from time to time, so does that mean the schools will be closed each time? If so why bother opening them?:
South Korea on Monday announced plans to reopen schools a week later than scheduled after dozens of infections coming from clubs in the city’s multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon triggered concerns over a bigger outbreak.
“The education ministry, through consultation with health authorities, postponed school reopening for high school seniors to guarantee the safety of students. The reopening for other grades will also be postponed by a week,” Vice Education Minister Park Baeg-beom said in a press briefing.
Under the revised schedule, high school seniors will return to school on May 20, followed by younger students who will return to school in steps concluding on June 8, according to the education ministry.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
I think South Korea is providing a good example for other parts of the world to be prepared for cluster infections as people get back to work and their some what normal routines:
The number of new coronavirus infections connected to bars and clubs in Seoul’s popular nightlife district of Itaewon climbed to 94 on Monday, health authorities and local governments said amid growing concerns over a high risk of community spread.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that 86 cases, including 63 club visitors and 23 family members and friends who came in contact with the clubbers, were confirmed as of noon on Monday.
Later in the day, the Seoul city government reported eight more cases to take the total infections to 94.
By region, Seoul has reported 59 confirmed cases, with 21 in Gyeonggi Province, seven in Incheon, five in North Chungcheong Province and one each in Busan and Jeju Island.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
It seems like these Korean style bars have the potential to be the next cluster infection site:
Clubs in the district of Gangnam were also shut down following the administrative order.
“We held an emergency meeting after Seoul city made the announcement, closed doors and put up signs informing our customers,” a club in Gangnam said. “We are worried since we do not know how long we have to keep the doors closed.”
Bars labeled as general restaurants in Gangnam, however, were still crowded with customers, raising concerns over further coronavirus infections.
Young customers formed long lines to get seats at indoor “pochas” — Korean-style bars — near Gangnam Station. Tables were placed closely together in clusters and the restaurant was filled with customers.
“We were supposed to go to a club, but it was closed so we came to this place,” said a man, who was at a pocha in Gangnam with his friends. “I heard a few people were confirmed with the virus in Itaewon, but I’m not worried since it was not in Gangnam.”
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The way I look at this, is that this could have just as easily happened in any nightclub in Seoul with how contagious this disease is:
The LGBTQ community in South Korea fears a rise in discrimination after a reported new spike in coronavirus cases was linked to a man who attended night clubs in Seoul’s gay district and later tested positive for the disease.
As of Saturday, May 9, South Korea confirmed 18 new coronavirus cases — the first time in five days that the number jumped above 10. Most of the cases originated in the popular Itaewon district in Seoul, where a 29-year-old man visited three nightclubs before testing positive for the virus.
The man tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, May 7, while an additional 14 people with who he had contact were also infected on Friday.
The 29-year-old could have also infected an estimated 2,000 people after he also walked around Seoul and other neighboring provinces, including Gyeonggi and Gangwon, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, according to Reuters.
Business Insider
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It is pretty amazing how many people that one person infected with the coronavirus was able to spread through clubs in Itaewon:
Coronavirus cases linked to clubs and bars in Seoul’s multicultural district of Itaewon have jumped to 54, an official said Sunday, as South Korea struggles to stop the cluster infection from spreading further.
The hike deepened fears that Itaewon-related infections could get out of control and lead to a nationwide transmission after the country had successfully brought the virus outbreak under control with zero local infections reported on many days in recent weeks.
The Itaewon infections began when a 29-year-old man tested positive on May 6 after visiting five clubs, including King Club, Trunk Club and Club Queen, between the night of May 1 and wee hours of May 2. More than 1,500 people were believed to have visited those clubs and bars on that night.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
It will be interesting to see what the demand for travel is going to be in June:
Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea’s biggest carrier by sales, said Thursday it will reopen dozens of its international routes next month amid signs the coronavirus epidemic may have passed its peak.
Korea Times
Korean Air plans to resume flights on 19 international routes on June 1 as the country’s top flag carrier strives to offset a sharp decline in passenger travel demand with an increased demand for cargo deliveries, the company said in a statement.
You can read more at the link.
