41 Olympics security staff ill with norovirus

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Thu, May 24, 2018 | 19:03

2018 PyeongChang

Posted : 2018-02-06 15:23

Updated : 2018-02-06 17:34

Soldiers guard the entrance to Gangneung Oval on Feb. 5 after they replaced 1,200 Olympics security agents who were quarantined the same day because some have contracted norovirus. / Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

Some security agents responsible for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games have been infected with norovirus, forcing organizers to quarantine about 1,200 agents and replace them with soldiers.

The committee categorized 41 staff members as "suspected patients" on Monday.

Earlier the day, the committee had said three of them were confirmed to have contracted the virus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, while 38 were suspected of having it.

The patients vomited and suffered from stomach pains. Some of the agents were in charge of the athletes' village, raising concerns that the virus may affect international athletes who will stay there.

The patients, mostly university students, were hired by a recruiting agency to provide workforce for screening at the entrance of venues.

Organizers said the virus appeared to have originated from Horeb Odaesan Youth Training Center in PyeongChang, where the agents stayed in a room for six in a group of 10. The Institute of Health and Environment under Gangwon Province Office found traces of the virus in a drinking water dispenser, and in shower rooms and in washroom basins.

Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, under the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, could not be reached by The Korea Times' calls regarding the incident.

Medics in the Olympic hosting city said they first saw five patients on Feb. 3, with two feeling nausea and the rest suffering from diarrhea, according to Munhwa Ilbo. They saw another 24 the following day, who were not in critical conditions and treated at a hospital in Gangneung.

One of the hired agents who stayed at the training center reportedly complained a water fountain inside the facility was found with a virus and banned from using it about three days ago. He added that inside a shower room, water smelled weird and there was a stagnant pool of water next to a toilet and inside a shower booth that "smelled terrible."

The committee decided to quarantine all the agents until they show signs of recovery. About 900 soldiers replaced the agents starting Monday afternoon, taking charge of 20 Olympic venues, including the athletes' village.

Soldiers monitor Gangneung Yeongdong University in Gangwon Province on Feb. 2, where short track athletes are training for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. / Yonhap

But there are concerns about whether the soldiers will carry out their security duties correctly.

Some soldiers were seen to have allowed visitors to enter a certain venue without checking the visitors' belongings, nor screening them properly. The incident happened when there were not many visitors, but if the soldiers continue on security duty after the Games started, questions linger about whether screening will be done thoroughly.

Replacing the agents took up to three hours, leaving fears of a "hole" in the safety net, according to Chosun Ilbo.

Following the quarantine, health authority ordered the organizers to ban the building of origin from providing residents with food that was prepared in conventional methods and instead provide only food that had been boiled.

The health authority said it would check underground water, vegetables and meat for the virus. If they were found to be infectious, the authority will shut down the water source and stop the food being distributed.

The authority will also check sterilization equipment at 18 residential buildings that share the underground water.

The authority suspects that the patients contracted the virus from infected water left on washroom doorknobs or other parts of the public facility.

The quarantine will last for three days at least, officials said.

Resistant to the cold temperature, the norovirus is active during South Korea's winter from November until April. It causes vomiting and diarrhea one to two days after being contracted.

The virus can be contracted through contaminated food or water or person-to-person contacts and usually spread by fecal or oral routes. It can also be spread by contaminated surfaces or through air.

aoshima11@ktimes.com