The South Korean government is still scrambling to find a way out of a new resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Seoul's Itaewon, where new infections were detected after a 29-year-old man hopped around nightclubs in the area earlier this month.
17 New Cases Linked to Itaewon Cluster
Of South Korea's 29 new coronavirus cases on Friday, 17 were linked to the nightlife district of Itaewon. The said cluster has now reached a total of 148 infections, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Health authorities in the country noted that this weekend will play a key role in the country's battle against a second wave of an outbreak that could stem from the Itaewon cluster.
Vice health minister Kim Ganglip said on Friday that due to both secondary and tertiary infections being logged over the past two weeks, health experts are looking at "small-sized cluster infection cases down the road."
Karaoke Facilities Dragged into Itaewon Cluster Research
In western Seoul's Hongdae, a new link was detected between recent transmissions and the cases linked to Itaewon's nightclubs and bars.
City civil health bureau director Na Baeg-ju explained that the five cases related to bars in Mapo Ward are also infections with indirect links to the Itaewon cluster. Na further noted that one of the patients related to the small Hongdae cluster visited a karaoke facility in Gwanak.
Before the small Hongdae cluster emerged, it was initially believed that it had a separate infection route than that of the Itaewon cluster. However, since the Gwanak karaoke ward was visited three minutes earlier by an Itaewon clubber, questions have been raised about "noraebang" areas potentially having the same links to the Itaewon cluster.
The study being conducted by the city's health bureau further revealed that a chain transmission in the Dobong area's noraebang center was also detected. While COVID-19 patients from the said small cluster were in different rooms, it was found that the building used a single ventilation system for the rooms.
More studies are being done to determine the extent of infection in noraebang or karaoke facilities linked to Itaewon clubbers or their acquaintances who have since tested positive of the coronavirus.
Private Academy Tutor in Question amid Chain Infections among Students
Aside from karaoke facilities linked to the Itaewon cluster, Incheon city has been dragged into the potential second wave of COVID-19 infections in South Korea after a 25-year-old teacher who visited King Club in Itaewon from May 2-3 infected around 11 others.
According to The Star, among those infected by the Incheon resident are five high school students at the academy where he tutored at. The said chain transmission led the city to ban all private academy operations across the city.
Ever since news of the academy tutor's infection emerged, there have been talks about the possibility of holding the tutor responsible for lying about his occupation.
The tutor, who is a university senior, reportedly told quarantine officials in Incheon that he is not working. His occupation as a private tutor only emerged after he tested COVID-19 positive and some of his students and their family members contracted the disease.
Following his earlier statements about having no occupation, quarantine officials became suspicious that his statements did not match his movements. Municipal authorities are now looking at the possibility of filing a criminal complaint against the teacher.
