Packed Close Together for Exercise... Could Zumba Dance Become a Hidden Trigger of COVID-19?

Zumba Dance Popular for Effective Diet Benefits
Chungnam Cheonan Zumba Dance Workshop Participants 'Trained' Confirmed Positive
Confirmed Dance Instructors → Confirmed COVID-19 Transmission to Others

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Concerns are growing as the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading in some areas due to 'Zumba dance.'

The area where Zumba dance began to be suspected as a so-called 'COVID-19 spread link' is Cheonan, Chungnam. Some participants who attended the Zumba dance workshop held in this area tested positive. Additional confirmed cases occurred following the movements of the confirmed patients.

◆ Exercising closely packed in a cramped space... Concerns over virus transmission through sweat and droplets

Zumba dance is an exercise combining aerobic movements with Latin dance. It is popular among women as a diet exercise. Due to repetitive movements of varying intensity, it burns a lot of calories, making it highly effective as exercise.

The problem is that exercising vigorously at 1-2 meter intervals in a cramped space can directly transmit virus-containing droplets (saliva droplets) and sweat to nearby people, causing infection.

According to health authorities, out of 29 people tested who attended the nationwide Zumba dance instructor workshop held in Cheonan on the 15th of last month, 8 tested positive (4 in Chungnam, 4 in other regions). However, the Chungnam Disease Control Headquarters stated that additional epidemiological investigation is needed as the infection route is unclear.

By region, the attendees of this workshop included 11 from Chungnam (7 from Cheonan, 1 from Asan, 2 from Naepo, 1 from Gyeryong), 5 from Seoul, 4 from Daegu (including 1 person residing in Asan who is a confirmed case transferred from Pyeongtaek), 3 from Gyeonggi, 3 from Chungbuk, and 1 each from Daejeon, Sejong, and Incheon, totaling 29 attendees.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As a result of testing these individuals, 8 were confirmed positive: 4 in Chungnam, 1 in Seoul, 1 in Sejong, and 2 in Daegu. The remaining 17 tested negative, 2 (in Daegu) are under testing, and 2 (in Seoul) have been advised to get tested.

Among the instructors who attended the workshop, instructor A from Cheonan, who tested positive, taught students at 8 dance studios in the Cheonan area after the workshop, and as many students tested positive, A is being identified as a 'super spreader.'

In Asan, among 7 people, 5 are students of the Cheonan Zumba dance fitness, and 2 are family members.

◆ Zumba dance and violin instructors → Transmitted COVID-19 to students... Teenage girl also confirmed positive

According to Sejong City on the 9th, a woman in her 40s living in Banggok-dong and a teenage girl living in Areum-dong were confirmed positive that day.

They are students of the Sejong Suzuki Violin Cello Music Academy of the 4th confirmed case and are presumed to have been infected while taking lessons.

The 4th confirmed case is a student at a Zumba dance academy in Dodam-dong and is presumed to have been infected by the 2nd confirmed case who attended the Zumba dance instructor workshop held in Buldang-dong, Cheonan on the 15th of last month.

This violin instructor is known to have taught 18 people recently through academy classes and private lessons, so more confirmed cases may occur.

There are 20 contacts of the violin instructor (1 kindergarten, 9 elementary, 2 middle school, 8 adults). Sejong City investigated 16 of them by the 8th. Among them, 2 tested positive and 14 tested negative. The remaining 4 are undergoing testing.

In the Cheonan area, about 80% of the total COVID-19 cases are estimated to be directly or indirectly related to Zumba dance.

Meanwhile, as of the 9th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Chungnam is 102, distributed by city/county as follows: Cheonan 94, Asan 7, Gyeryong 1, with 29 males and 73 females.

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