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Can AC spread coronavirus? A thorny question that emerges with school reopening

As many students are expected to go back to school, people began asking whether air conditioning is safe to use in the COVID-19 pandemic. GettyimagebankBy Kim Se-jeong As students are expected to go back to school later this month and study through the summer to catch up with what they missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest questions is whether air conditioning is safe to use.On Thursday, the Ministry of Education released a guideline to keep all windows at least one-third open at all times while running air conditioning. “At the moment, experts view using air conditioning is okay as long as the room is ventilated frequently,” Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said during a press conference, Wednesday. Yet she added, “A Chinese research team raised a possibility of the device contributing to droplet transmission. That needs more research and experimentation to be verified. For now, experts consider that a possibility. We are collecting opinions from experts on the use of air conditioning and wi

May 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Can AC spread coronavirus? A thorny question that emerges with school reopening

1st local infection in 4 days alarms health officials

An elderly woman smiles, Thursday, as her son visits her in a nursing home in Daejeon that adopted a contactless meeting place to prevent COVID-19 infections. The government asked people to refrain from visiting their parents in nursing homes on Parents' Day falling Friday, as those facilities housing senior citizens remain especially vulnerable to infections. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe health authorities have become tense following a report of the first domestic COVID-19 infection in four days amid loosened social distancing measures. This is triggering concerns about the community spread of the coronavirus, which could lead to another cluster infection, at a time when the nation's coronavirus infection rate has been plateauing.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Thursday that it had detected four new cases and one more death, Wednesday, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,810, and the death toll to 256. Among the new cases, three were from overseas, while one came from Gyeonggi Province.The nation's daily number of confirmed cases has been below

May 7, 2020
1st local infection in 4 days alarms health officials

S. Korea reports 4 new virus cases amid lax social distancing

The new infections brought the nation's total cases of COVID-19 to 10,810, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).South Korea reported four more cases of the new coronavirus on Thursday, including the first local case in four days, amid relaxed social distancing.The new infections brought the nation's total cases of COVID-19 to 10,810, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The new local COVID-19 case came from Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul, with the other three new cases having been imported, the KCDC said. The number of daily new confirmed cases has stayed below 20 for 20 consecutive days, and under 5 since Tuesday, the KCDC said.The country decided to lift its strict social distancing scheme, which had been in force since early March, starting Wednesday, amid a slowdown in the number of new infections that peaked at 909 in late February.South Koreans are allowed to go back to their daily routines while adhering to basic precautionary guidelines. Schools will open in phases starting next week as well.The nat

May 7, 2020
S. Korea reports 4 new virus cases amid lax social distancing

Korea starts post-social distancing life with cautious hope

A quarantine worker in Mapo District, Seoul, disinfects a library, Wednesday. The library opened Wednesday as Korea ended “official” social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Korea had its first day without “official” social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, with many still wearing masks but cautiously hoping for a full return to normal. The country didn't experience a mandatory lockdown for its citizens, as seen in other nations, but had a social-distancing campaign in place that banned meetings and gatherings for more than a month. Starting Wednesday, the government replaced it with a set of hygiene guidelines for individuals and groups, all non-compulsory, in order to maintain COVID-19 precautions, and while some openly wonder whether these measures will work, the government insists that it will maintain them for the present. Many public facilities were back in business ― the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened, allowing in visitors who made reservations in advance.

May 6, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Korea starts post-social distancing life with cautious hope

Bus drivers will lose job for refusing wheelchairs

YonhapBy Park Si-soo Bus drivers caught refusing to carry anyone in a wheelchair will have their licenses revoked under a Seoul City anti-discrimination policy.The policy took effect from Wednesday. To ensure the policy's thorough execution, the city will take into account records of penalized drivers when assessing bus companies' business license extensions.The city has also opened a call center ― available through 02-2133-2258 -― to handle violation cases. The policy is in response to complaints from disabled and senior people who use wheelchairs.

May 6, 2020
Bus drivers will lose job for refusing wheelchairs

Korea reports no new local virus cases for 3rd day amid lax social distancing

South Korea reported two more cases of the new coronavirus, all of which are imported cases, on Wednesday, marking no local new infections for the third consecutive day amid relaxed social distancing. YonhapSouth Korea reported two more cases of the new coronavirus, all of which are imported cases, on Wednesday, marking no local new infections for the third consecutive day amid relaxed social distancing.The new infections brought the nation's total caseload to 10,806, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). On Tuesday, the country added just three cases, the lowest figure in more than two months. The country decided to lift its strict social distancing scheme that had been put in force since early March starting Wednesday, amid a slowdown in the number of new infections that had peaked at 909 in late February.South Koreans are allowed to go back to their daily routines while adhering to basic precautionary guidelines. Schools will open in phases starting next week as well.The nation's death toll increased by one to 255. In total, 9,333 people in Sout

May 6, 2020
Korea reports no new local virus cases for 3rd day amid lax social distancing

PM calls for maintaining daily social distancing as new quarantine scheme begins

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. YonhapSouth Korea's prime minister called on citizens Wednesday to thoroughly maintain social distancing in their daily lives as the country began to relax quarantine rules amid a declining number of new coronavirus infections.After the implementation of strict social distancing measures for six weeks, the government began to switch to an "everyday life quarantine" scheme Wednesday to allow people to carry out social and economic activities under quarantine rules."We should bear in mind that reopening schools and boosting the economy will be possible only when practicing social distancing takes root as daily routine," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at a meeting on the government's response to COVID-19.Chung described the new scheme as the "minimum" steps that should be taken in order for even a limited return to normalcy."The government unveiled details about social distancing guidelines as part of daily routines. But it is of no use if people do not implement them in daily lives" he said.The education ministry announced Friday it will gradually reo

May 6, 2020
PM calls for maintaining daily social distancing as new quarantine scheme begins

COVID-19 policies to be in place even if alert level lowered

Visitors keep their distance from each other using a floor marked with white lines as a precaution against COVID-19 infections at the entrance to Seoul Children's Grand Park on Children's day, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government will maintain its policies related to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the mask distribution system, even after the alert level against the contagious disease is lowered, the health authorities said Tuesday. The administration raised its virus alert level to the “highest” in its four-tier system, Feb. 23, in response to the confirmation of hundreds of new cases at the time.The government is now considering lowering the alert level amid clear signs of a slowdown in the number of new infections.“We are collecting opinions from experts regarding the adjustment of the alert level,” Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said during a media briefing. “Even after the alert level is lowered to the third highest, the government's policies, which have been drawn up in response to the virus outbreak, will not be abolished as they depen

May 5, 2020
COVID-19 policies to be in place even if alert level lowered

Child leukemia patient returns home with help of Japan Airlines

A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling for helping a child leukemia patient in India return home / Captured from Cheong Wa Dae websiteBy Jun Ji-hyeA five-year-old Korean child, recently diagnosed with leukemia in India, arrived in Korea, Tuesday, with the help of Japan Airlines.The child and her mother, who boarded the JAL plane at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport at about 7 p.m., Monday, were able to return via Tokyo.The child entered a hospital in Gurugram near New Delhi after suffering from a high fever. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia there, with her condition worsening over the next few days. Her parents wanted to have her treated in Korea where medical-related systems are better, but there were no available flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian government has had the country under lockdown since March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Korean nationals living India who wanted to return to Korea already retuned home in April on four charter planes. The head of the association of Korean residents in India said a fifth charter plane

May 5, 2020
Child leukemia patient returns home with help of Japan Airlines
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