Some Gwangju Middle and High School Students Initially 'Positive' for COVID-19 Test 'Negative' in Second Test

Third Test Underway Through University Hospital... Gwangju Health and Environment Research Institute to Announce Results Around 8 PM

Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City (left in the photo), and Jang Hwi-guk, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education (center in the photo), are holding a briefing regarding COVID-19 testing for students at Yudeok Middle School and Daeseong Girls' High School.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporters Park Seon-gang and Yoon Ja-min] Two middle and high school students in Gwangju who showed partial positive reactions in COVID-19 tests were judged ‘negative’ in retests.

At around 3:10 p.m. on the 12th, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Jang Hwi-guk held an emergency briefing and announced that one student from Yudeok Middle School and one student from Daekwang Girls' High School showed partial positive reactions in COVID-19 tests that morning, and for accurate confirmation, specimens were sent to the Gwangju Health and Environment Research Institute, which showed ‘negative’ reactions as of 3 p.m.

Since the first and second test results differed, a third test was decided upon. The two students had specimens collected again at Chosun University Hospital and Chonnam National University Hospital, which were sent to the Gwangju Health and Environment Research Institute for testing. The results are expected around 8 p.m. that day.

It was reported that the two students have no connection except that they both took the first test at the same hospital.

Currently, quarantine authorities are collecting specimens from all students, teachers, and staff at Yudeok Middle School and Daekwang Girls' High School.

In response to the confirmed case news at Daekwang Girls' High School, Gwangju Metropolitan City and Nam-gu Office conducted testing and emergency disinfection.

Adding to the difficulty, on the same day, third-year high school students took midterm exams and left school early. The school sent messages to recall them, and a tense situation unfolded as students gathered by class outside the main gate to have specimens collected without entering the disinfected school building.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Nam-gu Office are visiting Daekwang Girls' High School directly and preparing to collect specimens from students outside the main gate.

Currently, Gwangju City and the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education plan to replace in-person classes with remote learning until the 22nd for Yudeok Middle School, considering the first and last attendance of the student was on the 8th, and until the 24th for Daekwang Girls' High School, considering the last attendance was on the 10th, assuming the two students are confirmed positive.

However, if the third test results come back ‘negative,’ the remote learning policy is expected to be reconsidered. But if the result is ‘positive,’ changes to the academic schedule seem inevitable.

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “I sincerely hope the students test negative,” and added, “Since students have already started attending school and anxiety among students and parents is growing, we will take swift and accurate measures.”

Meanwhile, it is known that the doctor who treated the two students is a parent of a student at an elementary school in Gwangju, and that student was sent home around 11 a.m. that day and is undergoing testing.

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