Infection Among Kindergarteners at Gangseo-gu Art Academy... "Emergency Care Suspended at 10 Kindergartens and 5 Elementary Schools" (Comprehensive)

Confirmed Infection in Art Academy Instructor
Nearby Kindergartens and Elementary Schools
Emergency Suspension of After-School Care
What About the Switch to In-Person Classes on the 27th?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] In Gangseo-gu, Seoul, one kindergarten student tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), leading nearby kindergartens and elementary schools to suspend emergency care. Kindergartens are among the groups scheduled to start in-person classes on the 27th, along with 2nd-year high school, 3rd-year middle school, and 1st and 2nd-grade elementary students.

A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official stated on the 25th, "One kindergarten student tested positive in relation to an art academy instructor in Gangseo-gu," adding, "We plan to suspend the operation of the kindergarten care classrooms in the affected area." The instructor received a positive test result on the morning of the 24th. It was confirmed that the instructor taught children at the art academy until the 22nd, and the students attending the academy have been quarantined. The kindergarten student who tested positive on the morning of the same day is believed to have been infected at the academy from this instructor.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will first disinfect the academy and close the academy within the same building, along with conducting disinfection measures. Health authorities plan to identify all possible contact points and take action once the epidemiological investigation results of the confirmed case are available. As a result, 10 kindergartens and 5 elementary schools in the nearby area are suspending emergency care until the 26th.

Regarding the in-person classes starting in two days, no decision has been made yet on whether to suspend attendance. An official from the Metropolitan Office of Education said, "We are exploring measures to support remote classes and other needs after the 27th for the affected kindergarten," and added, "Decisions on whether students belonging to the kindergarten and nearby schools will attend in-person classes will be made based on the test results of the contacts."

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