Some Asian countries are experiencing a resurgence in new COVID-19 cases and while others are fending off imported cases, South Korea is struggling with both locally-transmitted infections and patients with international travel history.
Local Infections on the Rise
Outside the multiple clusters that saw the Seoul government re-implementing widespread contact tracing and coronavirus testing, South Korea is faced with a spike in local infections. The country logged 51 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
Of the new cases, a total of 31 were local infections, raising concerns about the steady increase in clustered cases in the country. Furthermore, increasing imported cases are also of concern for health experts as the world slowly eases on travel restrictions.
While there have been smaller confirmed cases in various parts of South Korea, Seoul remains the hardest-hit in terms of the new outbreak.
Seoul Community Spreading Cases in Center
Health authorities in the capital area are focused on resolving community-spreading cases due to cluster infections that have been sprawling since early May.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) earlier warned that the Seoul metropolitan area is experiencing its second wave of COVID-19 infections. It is expected that movement control orders will be intensified in the coming days.
Busan Fears Heighten Amid Infected Russian Sailors
In Busan, citizens are gripped with fear following the confirmation that at least 17 Russian sailors tested COVID-19 positive during the weekend.
The sailors arrived in the port city on Sunday and were in contact with almost 200 dock workers of South Korean descent. Since the weekend, there have been complaints about how Busan port authorities handled the situation.
Some critics noted that port authorities should have properly quarantined the sailors first upon the cargo ship's arrival from Russia. There is also the question about why the sailors were allowed to be in contact with dock workers upon arrival.
Amid public fear for the potential spreading of clustered infections in Busan, port authorities conducted electronic quarantine measures for the Russian Ice Stream cargo ship. The 21 sailors on-board the ship were not allowed to disembark but they were already in contact with the dock workers.
Earlier reports revealed that the Russian sailors were not wearing masks while working alongside Korean dock workers. The infected sailors have since been transported to the Busan Medical Center for free treatment.
Testing for Contacts Underway
The local government confirmed that testing for potential coronavirus infection among those in contact with the Russian sailors will begin Wednesday.
Amid growing fears about the emergence of new clusters across Busan, KCDC deputy director Kwon Jun-wook commented on Tuesday that "it's hard not to assume that the cargo ship outbreak will grow further."
It remains to be seen how the Busan government will handle the issue regarding potential negligence on the side of port authorities after it was revealed that health questionnaires may not have been taken from the sailors when they arrived at the port.
As of Wednesday, South Korea logged a total of 12,535 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 281 fatalities from the fast-spreading disease.
