Noryangjin cram schools no exception to coronavirus pandemic
A shutdown notice is posted at the door of a hagwon in Noryangjin, Seoul, Wednesday, where a new confirmed case was reported./ Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
A busy district of Noryangjin, Seoul, filled with cram schools was empty Thursday after a case of COVID-19 was reported at one of them.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government ordered the closure of the affected school and the 65 people the patient came into contact with into self-quarantine. Among these 50 had tested negative as of Thursday morning.
The case involved a cram school student in his 20s who had symptoms Sunday and attended classes Monday before being confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus Tuesday.
The city shut down three other cram schools last month after cases of infection occurred at them.
It remains to be seen whether this will lead to a voluntary shutdown of cram schools in the city. Despite the city's recommendations, the schools, also known as hagwons, remain open.
According to the Seoul Education Office, as of Wednesday, only 3,763 cram schools in its jurisdiction had closed, or 14.9 percent. In the affluent districts of Gangnam and Seocho, the rate was lower at 8.2 percent.
Hagwons are seen as potential ground for infection clusters that the city government and infectious diseases experts are worried about. Seoul has a population of 10 million and a large number of such outbreaks would have devastating consequences.
The city has seen a steady growth in confirmed patient numbers ― it reported 590 as of Thursday morning, up 12 from the previous day.
The city government can order the shutdown of all hagwons, as it did for all bars and room salons, in a time of national crisis, but hasn't chosen to do so yet. Instead, it said it will strengthen monitoring of the institutions to see if they follow disinfection and personal hygiene guidelines.
On Wednesday, the city ordered the temporary shutdown of all bars, discos and room salons in the capital after weeks of giving recommendations.