Schools wary of foreign teachers over possible link to Itaewon outbreak

A drive-thru clinic for COVID-19 testing is busy again with cars at Ewha University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, as an infection cluster that was traced back to a nightclub area in Itaewon spreads across the country. /Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Concerns are growing at schools as nearly 90 foreign English teachers were found to have recently visited Itaewon in Seoul, a new COVID-19 hot spot connected to more than 90 confirmed coronavirus cases, education officials said Tuesday.

Foreigners wait to take COVID-19 tests at a clinic set up at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The South Jeolla Office of Education said 36 foreign teachers and 15 Korean teaching staff visited Itaewon and the Hongdae area sometime between April 24 and May 6. Among them two visited nightclubs. The office said 20 tested negative for the virus and 31 are currently undergoing testing.

According to the South Jeolla provincial government, five residents including one foreign teacher were confirmed to have visited Itaewon during the period when a 29-year-old Korean "superspreader" visited a number of nightclubs there from May 1 to May 2, but all tested negative.

The Gangwon Provincial Office of Education also said 55 foreign teachers and substitute teachers visited Itaewon from April 24 to May 6. They didn't visit clubs or bars, just a number of restaurants and coffee shops.

The office said all of them were under self-quarantine measures and undergoing the virus test. Even if the teachers test negative, they will be quarantined at home for 14 days and will work from there if necessary.

The infection cluster first emerged last Wednesday when the 29-year-old Korean from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting five different clubs and bars in Itaewon, from the night of May 1 to the early hours of May 2.

Health authorities believe the man was the initial spreader of the highly contagious virus at the clubs, and advised anyone who visited or "went near" clubs and bars in the area between April 24 and May 6 to get tested even if they aren't showing symptoms.

A senior official at the South Jeolla provincial government said however, it wouldn't be reasonable to blame the foreign teachers just because they have visited the area.

"Because the teachers who visited Itaewon are working at schools, the provincial education authorities are on alert to deal with any infections in order to prevent any possible virus spread among students," the official said.

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