Halloween gatherings raising outbreak concerns

A street in Itaewon, Seoul, is crowded on Halloween, Sunday. Yonhap

Authorities warn daily caseload could increase to 4,000-5,000

By Jun Ji-hye

Concerns are rising over additional COVID-19 outbreaks and a potential fifth wave of infections, after a huge number of people attended private gatherings and parties during the Halloween weekend across the country.

Popular entertainment areas such as Itaewon and Gangnam in Seoul were crowded with young people, right before the government was to begin its shift to a "Living with COVID-19" plan, Monday, aimed at achieving a "return to normalcy" through a gradual phasing out of coronavirus restrictions.

Amid a growing sense of freedom following the government's announcement of plans to ease social distancing rules, even though they were still in place Sunday, 1,289 people were caught violating them nationwide during police crackdowns over the weekend, according to the National Police Agency, Monday.

But the crackdowns, jointly carried out by police and local governments to prevent potential mass infections, were not that successful in enforcing the social distancing rules, as too many people went to the popular districts and it was hard for them to maintain a safe distance from one another.

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According to police, 170,000 people gathered in Itaewon on the three days from last Friday, wearing Halloween costumes such as those featured in the hit Netflix series "Squid Game."

People were seen drinking, singing, dancing and smoking without wearing face masks.

Trash is gathered in an alley of Itaewon, Seoul, Monday, the morning after a huge number of people came to celebrate Halloween. Yonhap

Residents living near those areas raised skepticism over the effectiveness of the crackdowns.

"Streets here were like jam-packed buses during the weekend. It is doubtful whether the crackdown was effective," a man in his 30s who lives near Itaewon said.

The Halloween parties are raising fears over a further outbreak that could lead to another wave of infections.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has already warned that new daily infections could surge to 4,000 to 5,000 from the current 1,000 to 2,000 under the government's policy shift.

"Social distancing rules have been considerably eased in the first stage of the policy shift, and more than 5 million people have yet to get vaccinated," KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said. "The indoor spread of infections is also expected to increase during winter, and upcoming parties and gatherings at the end of the year are adding concerns."

The health authorities said they will focus more on managing critically ill patients rather than all virus cases for more effective pandemic management, vowing to improve home treatment systems and secure sufficient intensive care unit beds.

The KDCA reported 1,686 new infections for Sunday, including 1,666 local ones, raising the total caseload to 366,386.

The number of new virus cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in five days, due likely to reduced testing over the weekend.

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