Ministry of Health and Welfare Official Tests Positive for COVID-19... Presumed Infected by Zumba Instructor (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A public official affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare working at the Government Sejong Complex has tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is the third confirmed case in Sejong City.

According to Sejong City on the 7th, the third confirmed case is a woman in her 20s residing in an officetel in Dodam-dong, who works as a public official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the Government Sejong Complex. It has been confirmed that she is not part of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters responsible for COVID-19 quarantine work.

The public official was confirmed to have attended classes taught by the second confirmed case, a Zumba instructor. She took classes at the fitness center in Dodam-dong operated by the Zumba instructor until the center closed temporarily on the 19th and 20th of last month. Symptoms such as a sore throat appeared about a week later. This public official went to work until 1 p.m. the previous day and was confirmed to have used public transportation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Following the Zumba instructor's positive diagnosis, the city collected specimens from symptomatic individuals among 55 contacts, including students and instructors, for investigation. The public official, who was a student, also underwent testing at the city health center the previous day and was confirmed positive.

Sejong City is conducting an epidemiological investigation to identify the movement paths and contacts of the employee. The office where the employee worked was temporarily closed. The city plans to conduct a full investigation of all colleagues working in the same department and the students of the second confirmed case.

The second confirmed case, the Zumba instructor, attended a Zumba instructor workshop held in Cheonan, Chungnam, on the 15th of last month and reportedly showed symptoms such as fatigue and a runny nose five days later. He taught about 50 people over three days starting from the 19th of last month, one day before symptom onset. The public official who tested positive on this day was included among them. Since the instructor’s movement path now includes the fitness center, his residence, as well as a clinic and pharmacy in Saerom-dong, the city plans to conduct COVID-19 tests on two medical personnel.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.