Corona in South Korea – Back in crisis: Party guests infect 24 people

Thomas Hahn from Seoul

Updated 35 minutes ago—

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in spoke to the nation on Sunday. The occasion was the third anniversary of his tenure, but there was only one topic in his speech: the aftermath of the corona pandemic. He spoke of needs that affect even strong companies and the growing fear of unemployment.

“There is no doubt that this is an economically wartime situation,” said Moon, before he called on people to be brave: his government would find a chance in the crisis and create jobs for a post-pandemic modern age. His keywords: communication technology, services without encounter, online education, disease prevention, biotechnology.

It was an appropriate speech for a small, high-tech nation that is just amazed at the whole world for its successful corona virus management. However, the pandemic is not over, not even in South Korea, at least if the aim is to eradicate the lung disease Covid-19. The mass infection in a Seoul nightclub district has brought back the feeling of crisis.

A 29-year-old alarms the authorities

In the past week, Korea’s Center for Disease Control (KZSK) occasionally recorded only a few imported new infections and no more domestic ones. It’s changed again since Friday. A 29-year-old party guest with Covid 19 disease was enough to raise the alarm. One wanted to deal with the return to the new normal.

The KZSK reported 34 new Covid 19 cases on Sunday. 24 of them were in contact with the 29-year-old, who had traveled through bars and clubs in the multicultural district of Itaewon the weekend before. The KZSK called on visitors to the clubs concerned to seek medical isolation because it cannot be ruled out that they may have caught the coronavirus even without symptoms.

More than 1500 guests may have been in contact

The authorities estimate that a total of 1510 visitors could have been to the clubs, one does not know exactly because the recording system was faulty. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said that the authorities were unable to locate more than 1,300 people, and launched a call to everyone who was at the premises to get tested voluntarily. He also issued a ban on meetings in entertainment establishments. “We have no other choice, because we have the impression that the recommendations to operators for self-monitoring are not sufficient, considering the vulnerability of entry recording in the clubs.” At the weekend it was very quiet in Itaewon, where everything else is full of people, light and colors.

The return to normal is not easy with a highly contagious disease that shows no or only mild symptoms in many patients. South Korea has never had a strict lockdown. Many shops and cafes remained open, people were allowed to take to the streets. This worked not only because of the extensive investigation and test system of the authorities. This also worked because people with great discipline adhered to the recommendations on infection protection.

Now, more than three months after the first cautious campaign, the South Korean government wants to gradually release people from the protection of social distance. They are tentative attempts. The parliamentary election on April 15 was characterized by precautionary measures. The professional leagues in baseball and football resumed their game last week – initially without spectators.

Many parents are also unsettled

This week the schools are supposed to reopen for the older age groups, and a week later for the younger ones. But the infection in Itaewon has also made many parents unsettled. The “Korea Times” quotes among other things the employee Yeo Chul-hyung: He cannot just send his children back to school and kindergarten. «28 children are in my daughter’s class. Imagine if only one tested positive, then all the other 27 children and 54 parents would have to be quarantined, »he says. The number of people to be isolated could increase rapidly. «Can the government deal with this scenario? I seriously doubt it. »

The government has announced that fever checks can be expected at the entrances to public buildings and that air conditioning systems can only be operated with the windows open. Entry rules remain strict. But especially after the contagions in Seoul’s nightlife, the authorities feel how complicated it is to get the fear of viruses out of people’s heads. There is still a long way to go to normal. Also in the model country of fighting coronavirus.

Posted at 6:36 am today-