Fears mounting over virus spreading across nation again

Students at Daegu Yedam School go through COVID-19 testing on the playground, Friday, as one of the students there tested positive for the virus. / Yonhap

Wednesday rally for 'comfort women' prohibited amid virus concerns

By Jun Ji-hye

The southern city of Daegu, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea, has been hit by another infection cluster, while the greater Seoul area, Daejeon and Gwangju have continued to report consistent increases in the number of virus patients, according to health authorities Friday.

The worsening community transmission is raising fears that the virus is spreading across the nation again, after the country showed clear signs of a slowdown in new virus cases at the end of April.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) detected 63 new infections Thursday ― 52 local and 11 imported cases ― bringing the nation's total to 12,967. The death toll remained unchanged at 282.

The daily number of infections marked a rise from 54 the previous day, and bounced back to over 60 for the first time in five days.

By regions, 31 were from Seoul and nearby areas including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, while infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area also showed a sustained increase.

Daegu reported 13 additional cases ― it marked the first time for the city to report more than 10 cases since April 7 when the number of new cases in the city began to plateau.

The new infection cluster in Daegu, which involved at least 10 patients, was traced to an acting academy, the authorities said, noting that ongoing epidemiological investigations could lead to the confirmation of more patients.

"We are carrying out COVID-19 testing on 1,560 teachers and students of four schools attended by newly confirmed patients, including Kyeongmyeong Girls' High School," KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said during a briefing.

Daegu was once the hotbed of the nation's virus outbreak, and still accounts for more than half of the nation's COVID-19 cases due to previous infection clusters involving the Daegu branch of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Authorities are also paying keen attention to the southwestern city of Gwangju that was hit by an infection cluster traced to a Buddhist temple.

The KCDC said a total of 57 patients have been traced to the temple as of noon Friday, noting that infections at the temple have spread to a number of other places, including a church and a nursing home.

Meanwhile, a civic advocacy group for Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery will not be able to hold its weekly Wednesday rally for the time being as Seoul's central district of Jongno-gu designated streets near the Japanese embassy as a no-rally zone amid renewed fears over the spread of COVID-19.

The affected areas include an iconic girl statue symbolizing the victims that sits in front of the former Japanese Embassy compound, where the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korea Council) has held the weekly rally for the past 28 years to protest Japan's sex slavery of Korean women during World War II.

The designation of the no-rally zone also prohibited rallies organized by the conservative civic group Freedom Solidarity to oppose the Korean Council's activities.

Jongno-gu Office said the designation will be valid until the government lowers the country's alert level for COVID-19.

The government raised the alert level to its highest in the four-tier system, Feb. 23, amid the confirmation of hundreds of new cases at the time.

Rally organizers and participants who contravene the measures could face fines of up to 3 million won ($2,500) in accordance with laws governing prevention of infectious diseases.

"The number of new cases has increased rapidly in Seoul and nearby areas, and sporadic group infections have occurred in other parts of the country," said Kim Young-jong who heads Jongno-gu Office. "We will restrict rallies in central Seoul to contain the spread of the contagious disease and respond strictly to any violations."

Regarding the office's announcement, Han Kyung-hee, secretary-general of the Korea Council, said "discussion is underway to find a way" to continue the weekly rally.

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