Among 308 Visitors to Itaewon Area in Gyeongnam Province, 133 Tested Negative

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Sharon] Gyeongsangnam-do recently issued an administrative order for 'mandatory reporting and testing' for residents who visited the Itaewon area in Seoul, where a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred, resulting in a surge of voluntary reporters.

On the 12th, during a COVID-19 response briefing, the province announced that as of the previous afternoon, there were 72 visitors to the Itaewon area, including 18 who visited clubs and 54 who visited the area, but as of 10 a.m. that day, the number had surged to 308.

In addition to the 11 people notified by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (8 club visitors and 3 area visitors), the number of voluntary reporters increased significantly to 297 (15 club visitors and 282 area visitors).

The province conducted rapid testing on these individuals, reporting that 133 have tested negative so far, with the remaining tests still in progress.

Starting from 9 p.m. the previous day, the province mandated that those who visited the Itaewon area between the 24th of last month and the 6th of this month, and who have a residence, workplace, or connection in the province, must report and undergo testing. The administrative order, which includes penalties such as fines for violations, is believed to have led to the increase in voluntary reporting.

The province is conducting comprehensive testing of Itaewon visitors, placing those who have overlapping movements with confirmed cases under self-quarantine, and recommending self-quarantine or active monitoring for those who visited clubs or pubs.

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