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| A hagwon in Seoul is shut down after one of the teachers there got confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus on Sunday/ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
A teacher at a Seoul private cram school targeting university students wishing to transfer to another school was among newly reported COVID-19 patients, stoking fear among students who attended the institute and their parents, according to the health authorities, Monday.
Korea has many private schools, known as "hagwon," and they have the potential to become the breeding ground for infection clusters. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday despite the city's recommendation, only 16.9 percent of hagwon in its jurisdiction had closed.
Early on, the government shut down elementary, middle and high schools and universities to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Yet, the shutdown remained optional for hagwon and many have kept their businesses open through the outbreak.
The hagwon infection was reported as a heated debate is underway on whether elementary, middle and high schools across the country should reopen April 6 as planned. The majority of teachers and parents oppose opening next week, while some support it, claiming a further delay would cause too much disruption to the school calendar.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the private institute teacher is a 44-year-old man who contracted the virus from his wife. His nine-year-old daughter was also confirmed to have been infected. The KCDC shut down the hagwon until April 10 and all its students are under quarantine.
The previous day, another hagwon teacher from Seoul was confirmed to have the virus and 200 students were put into quarantine.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education is expected to announce its decision on whether schools will open April 6. Local media outlets reported Monday that all schools, except for high schools, are expected to remain shut for another week or two. High schools are likely to resume classes but lectures will be done online, the news reports added.
The KCDC reported 78 new cases of the new coronavirus Sunday, bringing the total to 9,661, with an accumulated death toll of 161.
The Second Mijoo Hospital in Daegu has announced 58 new cases over the last five days. The total number of the infected is now 133 ― 6 medical service providers and 127 patients ― exceeding the number reported from Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province which was one of the early hotbeds of COVID-19.
The hospital is in a building that houses an elderly care center which saw 286 coronavirus cases. The government said it's investigating to find the cause of such a high number of cases occurring in one building.
Among the country's 78 new cases, 29 contracted the virus outside Korea, according to the KCDC.
The government is stepping up border controls to contain the spread of COVID-19 from those arriving from overseas. Starting Wednesday, quarantine will be required for all arrivals, regardless of country of origin, even if they test negative for the novel coronavirus. An official explained an increasing number of cases involve people who initially showed no symptoms and tested negative for the virus but developed symptoms later at home.
The government said those who use quarantine facilities provided by it will be asked to pay for their stay, which is estimated at 100,000 won per night.
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