‘On-Campus Infection Becomes a Reality’ in Daejeon... Local Governments and Education Offices ‘Busy’, Parents ‘Frustrated’

On the morning of the 30th, a quarantine company official is disinfecting and sanitizing the school facilities at Daejeon Cheondong Elementary School in Cheondong, Dong-gu, Daejeon. Source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] As school-based infections have become a reality for the first time nationwide in Daejeon, the Daejeon City Government and the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education have been announcing countermeasures one after another. However, the reaction of local parents watching this is only cold.

◆Nation’s first ‘stigma,’ transmission and infection among students at attending schools = Daejeon has taken on the stigma of being the first region in the country where school-based transmission of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred.

According to Daejeon City as of 10 p.m. on the 1st, two 5th-grade students (#120 and #121) at Cheondong Elementary School in Dong-gu, Daejeon, were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

These confirmed students were classmates of patient #115, who was previously confirmed positive for COVID-19. It is understood that #120 had contact with #115 inside the classroom, and #121 had contact with #115 in the gymnasium.

Patient #115 attended school from the 22nd to the 24th of last month and did not go to school from the 25th onward. It was also confirmed that this student attended four private academies.

Fortunately, the city and quarantine authorities classified 159 contacts, including 25 students who were in the same class as #115 at Cheondong Elementary and 51 who exercised together in the gymnasium, and conducted comprehensive testing. So far, no additional confirmed cases have been reported.

However, considering past cases where individuals tested positive again during re-examination in self-quarantine despite no immediate symptoms, the possibility of ‘n-th generation infections’ linked to the existing student cases cannot be completely ruled out.

◆Daejeon City and Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education announce successive countermeasures = As school-based infection cases emerged locally, Daejeon City and the Metropolitan Office of Education became busy.

Yesterday, the city issued administrative orders to prohibit gatherings at 91 academies and private tutoring centers and 16 sports training centers in Dong-gu (including Hyodong, Cheondong, and Gaodong) where student cases were confirmed, maintaining these measures until the 5th.

Additionally, Mayor Heo Tae-jeong announced in a briefing that COVID-19 diagnostic tests will be conducted for all students and staff within the school, including the 5th-grade students at Cheondong Elementary. He also expressed willingness to consider installing a mobile screening clinic on the school playground for rapid testing.

The Metropolitan Office of Education, which had maintained in-person classes (two-thirds of all students), decided to suspend attendance at educational facilities such as kindergartens, elementary schools, and special schools in Dong-gu and switch to remote learning starting from the 2nd. The targets are 34 kindergartens, 23 elementary schools, and 2 special schools. Remote classes will initially continue until the 10th, with the possibility of extension depending on future circumstances, according to the Office.

Furthermore, regarding Cheondong Elementary, where student cases were confirmed, the Office stated it will cooperate with quarantine authorities to conduct additional epidemiological investigations and identify and manage contacts and testing targets.

◆Parents’ frustration: “Ultimately a case of ‘too little, too late’” = Despite these measures by the city and the Office of Education, local parents are outraged. They argue that in-person classes should have been restrained from the start to prevent school-based infections.

Parent A (female, 45), who has two children in 3rd and 5th grade, said, “I always sent my children to school with anxiety, but now that a student case has appeared at a school right next door, I feel empty and angry.” She sighed, adding, “This incident (school infection) seems like something that was predicted, something that was bound to happen eventually.”

Another parent B (female, 44, with a child in 6th grade) said, “The Ministry of Education and the Metropolitan Office of Education’s stance of ‘maintain the current system (in-person classes) first, take action if confirmed cases appear’ was from the start just a case of ‘too little, too late.’” She added, “Now that the situation has occurred, who can take responsibility? Can the Ministry and the Office handle the trauma of the confirmed children and the anxiety of other children and parents?”

Voices of criticism over school-based infections are also strong online. Multiple netizens commented, “You proceeded with (in-person classes) knowing you might lose the cow, so now let’s see how you fix the barn (mktf***).” “Since there are asymptomatic cases, I think there are infected kids not only at Cheondong Elementary but also at other schools... Does Daejeon have no countermeasures? (sky***)” “I’m angry because the Ministry and the Office keep pushing for in-person classes without presenting safety measures (mhle***).”

Other netizens appealed for additional measures, saying, “Group infections at schools are inevitably larger than general infections... Please don’t gamble with children’s health and lives (ojin***).” “Please suspend all in-person classes in Daejeon even now. I earnestly ask. Children’s activity ranges are wide, and I’m afraid the infection will spread more if left as is. Please listen carefully (freu***).”

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