Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries COVID-19 Path 'Ori-muju'... Concerns Over Cross-Infection Between Local Communities and Sejong Government Complex

Infographic of the current COVID-19 cases among Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials as of 1 PM on the 12th. Provided by Sejong City.

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] In Sejong, the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is increasing, centered around the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Currently, confirmed cases among Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials account for half of the total confirmed cases in the region. However, the infection routes of these officials have not yet been clearly identified, raising concerns about cross-infection with the local community.

According to Sejong City on the 12th, as of 1 p.m. that day, the cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the region was 24. Among them, 11 are Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials, and 1 is the spouse of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official. This means that 50% of the total confirmed cases in the region are related to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

In addition to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, one official each from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (#3), the Presidential Archives (#10), the Ministry of Education (#16), and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (#18) at the Sejong Government Complex tested positive, and there was also a case where a child (#11) was confirmed with COVID-19 before their father, who is a Ministry of Education official.

In this context, voices of concern are growing in Sejong about cross-spread between the Government Sejong Complex and the local community.

The spread of COVID-19 infection, which started through a Zumba dance instructor (#2), has recently shown a pattern of moving from the local community to the Sejong Complex (Zumba dance instructor → Ministry of Health and Welfare official (student · #3)) and then again from the Sejong Complex to the local community (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Ministry of Education officials → family infections).

However, at present, the infection routes of officials at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and other Sejong Complex offices have not been clearly identified.

As of 1 PM on the 12th, status of COVID-19 confirmed cases and infection route diagram in the Sejong area (excluding the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries). Provided by Sejong City.

In the case of the Zumba dance instructor, it is presumed that they were infected with COVID-19 after attending a Zumba dance instructor workshop held on the 15th of last month in Buldang-dong, Cheonan, and a link was found where Zumba dance students and contacts were subsequently infected through this instructor.

On the other hand, most of the confirmed Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials have not had their time, place, or method of infection clearly identified.

At least for officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Presidential Archives, and the Ministry of Personnel Management, links to the Zumba dance instructor were found, but the city and health authorities have determined that the first confirmed Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries employee had no contact with the Zumba dance instructor or their students.

In this regard, the city has requested the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to establish a separate screening clinic within the Sejong Government Complex and is seeking joint measures with the government to prevent cross-spread of COVID-19 between the local community and the Sejong Complex.

Lee Chun-hee, Mayor of Sejong City, said, "With 11 additional confirmed cases from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in one day on the 12th, concerns about a cluster infection among officials are growing," adding, "The city plans to first conduct a full investigation while quarantining Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries employees and then expand testing to officials from other ministries."

Mayor Lee also emphasized, "Currently, concerns about COVID-19 spread between the local community and the Sejong Government Complex are increasing." He stressed, "The city will cooperate with the government to focus on breaking the chain of infectious disease spread between the local community and the Sejong Complex."

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