Over 100 Confirmed Cases from Richway... "69% Are Aged 60 and Above"

On the 8th, at the screening clinic set up at Gwanak-gu Public Health Center in Seoul, citizens are waiting to get tested as secondary infections related to Richway, a multi-level marketing company selling health products for the elderly, continue to spread. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The number of COVID-19 patients related to the door-to-door sales company Richway in Gwanak-gu, Seoul has exceeded 100. It has been 9 days since the first patient was confirmed on the 2nd.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 11th, as of 0:00 a.m. that day, the total number of patients related to Richway was counted at 106. Previously, the number was 93 as of noon the previous day, and 13 new cases were confirmed within half a day. Since early last month, when social distancing measures, so-called daily quarantine system, were implemented, sporadic group infections have continued mainly in the metropolitan area, and this is the third time the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 100, following the Itaewon clubs and Coupang logistics center outbreaks.

In the case of the Richway cluster infection, there are many elderly people compared to other groups, raising concerns among health authorities. Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said before the meeting that day, "In the case of infections at the unregistered door-to-door sales company (Richway), 69% (73 cases) of confirmed patients are aged 60 or older," adding, "Elderly people often have relatively weakened immune functions, which can lead to serious consequences."

This cluster infection was first discovered when a man in his 70s, who collapsed and was taken to the hospital on the 2nd of this month, tested positive in a diagnostic test. Since then, patients have steadily increased as Richway employees and visitors spread the virus to those around them. Small-scale cluster infections such as at SJ Investment Company in Gangseo-gu and Myeongseong Housing in Gangnam-gu are also identified to be related to this cluster.

Deputy Head Park said, "To prevent unexpected cluster infections, we plan to identify high-risk facilities, establish core quarantine rules for each facility, and proactively inspect blind spots in quarantine," adding, "If quarantine measures are obstructed or if group infections occur due to intentional or gross negligence in following quarantine rules, we will strictly hold legal responsibility, including claiming compensation."

Meanwhile, at the meeting that day, they reviewed the metropolitan area quarantine measures, the status of the government-wide support activities for COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccine development, and the quarantine measures related to family events such as wedding halls.

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