Coronavirus: South Korea grapples with new infection clusters a month after easing social distancing rules
South Korea is braced for a fresh wave of infections centred on the capital Seoul almost a month after coronavirus restrictions were eased, as health officials grapple with newly emerging clusters before some 1.8 million students are set to return to school on Wednesday.
The country, which had reported 11,541 cases as of Tuesday, endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the Covid-19 disease outside China, but appeared to have brought it under control thanks to an extensive "trace, test and treat" programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown.
Lee Hoan-jong, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University Children's Hospital, said South Korea had been among the first countries to get the virus under control and ease social distancing regulations, but this involved a "trade-off" between public health and keeping the economy afloat.
"The stricter the lockdown, the smaller the number of daily new cases. And there are always hidden pockets of infections that are hard to detect", he said, adding that no country can afford to impose a strict lockdown indefinitely. "It appears that the South Korean government is also taking a measured approach to keep this balance."
People pictured walking in the Myeongdong shopping district of Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
Social distancing rules were relaxed in the country from early May and it was largely returning to normal until last week, when some measures were reimposed in the capital and the surrounding region following fresh clusters of cases.
On Thursday it reported its biggest spike in new infections in nearly two months, but Tuesday's increase fell to 38 new cases. All but two of these were caused by community transmission in the capital and its surrounding areas, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sohn Young-rae, a senior health official, told a press briefing that "another wave of infections is feared to roar in" if the virus continues spreading in the capital area " home to almost half the country's population and large numbers of commuters.
"We must cut off this chain of infections in the metropolitan area," Sohn said, urging residents of Seoul to refrain from socialising and visiting restaurants or bars until the end of the week.
Workers spray disinfectant outside a nightclub in the entertainment district of Itaewon, Seoul, after last month's outbreak. Photo: Yonhap via AP
Other governments have had similar struggles. In Hong Kong, for example, social-distancing rules restricting gatherings to no more than eight people will be extended for another two weeks, after the emergence of a new cluster of infections sparked fears of a "super spreader" in the housing estate where all the new patients live.
South Korea was initially praised as a model for containing the pandemic. By combining aggressive tracing and testing with near-obligatory use of face masks, social distancing and clampdowns on hotspots, it successfully slowed the number of infections from several hundred per day in late February and early March to less than a dozen in early May.
But scores of cases linked to night clubs and bars in Itaewon and a distribution centre in Bucheon city near Seoul have caused setbacks in recent weeks
Christians wearing face masks attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul on Sunday. Photo: AP
Most recently, a string of new infections traced back to small churches in Seoul and the wider metropolitan area has stirred memories of earlier this year, when thousands of infections were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a minor Christian sect.
At least 24 new cases have now emerged from a small church in Incheon, where worshippers would crowd together in a small room to chant without wearing face masks " leading to more than 70 per cent of those taking part catching the virus, said Sohn, the health official.
Of those infected, 17 showed few symptoms at first, which Sohn said could have encouraged them to let their guard down.
"Quarantine is not optional ... and it must be part of our normal life", he said.
State prosecutors take away boxes containing possible evidence after a search and seizure at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus's main office in Gwacheon last month. Photo: EPA / Yonhap
The Shincheonji infection cluster prompted South Korea's major churches to shift towards holding services online and limit the number of worshippers allowed to attend in person by using QR codes.
But small churches, many already struggling financially, have found it hard to secure large enough venues to allow for social distancing, while some Bible study groups have reportedly been ignoring official advice.
Health authorities in the country have urged church-goers to refrain from face-to-face meetings until the risk of infection has eased.
"In-person Bible study, prayer meetings and group trips should be curbed until infection risks fall in the capital area, where local transmissions are spreading," said Jeong Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, adding that officials may have to resort to administrative measures if quarantine guidelines are not strictly followed.
Incheon City said it plans to tighten inspections of 4,234 religious facilities in its jurisdiction and is considering imposing a set of mandatory quarantine rules at such facilities.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
