Infection clusters popping up amid eased distancing rules

Health officials disinfect a geriatric hospital in Busan, Wednesday, after more than 50 COVID-19 infections were reported there. / Yonhap

Over 50 virus patients reported at Busan elderly care facility

By Jun Ji-hye

The health authorities are struggling to cope with COVID-19 infection clusters that have consistently emerged across the country after social distancing guidelines were eased earlier this week.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, the nation added 84 infections for Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 24,889.

The daily new cases decreased from 102 identified a day earlier, but the authorities are staying vigilant over sporadic group outbreaks, in addition to a continuous rise in the number of imported cases that was partially attributed to group of infected Russian sailors who docked at Busan Port.

Adding to concerns is that the government lowered social distancing guidelines from Level 2 to Level 1, Monday, based on the belief that the country's coronavirus situation has been showing signs of abating. The government adopted the three-tier social distancing system June 28.

Among the 84 new cases, the number of local infections stood at 53, continuing to exceed the benchmark of less than 50 set by the health authorities to implement Level 1. The number of imported cases was tallied at 31.

Sporadic group outbreaks continue including those involving family gatherings during the five-day Chuseok holiday than ended Oct. 4. In Daejeon, at least 27 patients have been traced to such gatherings.

“Group outbreaks have continued to emerge in the Seoul metropolitan area as well as other parts of the nation, thus all of us should not let our guard down,” Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official in charge of containment measures, said during a regular briefing. “We ask residents to wear face masks all the time and refrain from visiting places where many people gather.”

In the southern port city of Busan, at least 53 patients and employees including nurses at a geriatric hospital have tested positive for the virus as of 9 a.m., Wednesday, since an assistant nurse in her 50s was confirmed to have COVID-19, Tuesday. One of the infected patients has already died.

Mass infections at the hospital were not reflected in the daily new cases announced by the KDCA, meaning that the number of infections to be announced Thursday is expected to reflect a surge.

From the time of the confirmation of the first of the new group of virus patients, the authorities in Busan have conducted testing on all 261 inpatients and employees at the hospital.

Concerns are growing over the possibility of additional patients emerging as the inpatients there are elderly and more vulnerable to infections.

The authorities put the hospital under cohort isolation referring to a lockdown of the entire facility to prevent the spread of a virus.

“We are conducting an epidemiological investigation to find out the infection route of the first patient and how many people have come into contact with her,” an official from the Busan Metropolitan Government said.

Meanwhile, a conservative civic group is pushing to hold massive rallies to be participated in by more than 1,000 people in central Seoul this and next Sunday after the government's social distancing rules were eased, raising concerns over another mass outbreak.