"Must Wear Masks" - Will Cafe-Originated COVID-19 Spread Nationwide?

At Least 40 Confirmed Cases at Paju Starbucks... Spread Nationwide from Cafe
Paju City Issues Administrative Order to Restrict Gatherings at All Coffee Shops for 2 Weeks

On the 16th, the Starbucks Yadang Station branch in Yadang-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, was closed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). On this day, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases related to the Starbucks Yadang Station branch exceeded 40.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) related to the Starbucks Paju Yadang Station branch in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, has surged, concerns are rising that so-called cafe-originated cluster infections may become a reality. Currently, the spread of COVID-19 from confirmed cases linked to the cafe is expanding from visitors to the store to their families and acquaintances, causing health authorities to be on high alert.

However, some citizens visiting coffee shops have expressed complaints that it is difficult to comply with the strengthened quarantine rules, raising concerns that cafe-originated COVID-19 may spread more widely. Experts have warned that the current COVID-19 spread is in a serious situation and there is a high possibility of a widespread epidemic occurring.

◆ COVID-19 Confirmed Cases Among Visitors to Starbucks Paju Yadang Station Branch

According to Paju City on the 16th, as of 6 p.m. that day, a total of 42 people, including customers who visited the Starbucks Paju Yadang Station branch, were confirmed positive. This is 13 more than the 29 cases announced by the Central Disease Control Headquarters at noon that day.

Among them, 25 were customers who directly visited Starbucks on the 8th, most of whom were confirmed to have been on the second floor of the store without wearing masks. Customers and employees who wore masks and ordered on the first floor tested negative, and the remaining 17 were secondary infections among their families and acquaintances.

Previously, the Paju Yadang Station branch had five positive cases, including the first confirmed case on the 12th. On the following days, two were confirmed on the 13th, eight on the 14th, eight on the 15th, and 19 on the 16th.

Among the confirmed cases on that day, one was a high school student. She was a classmate of confirmed case A, who tested positive on the 16th and had visited the store on the afternoon of the 8th, showing symptoms such as sore throat and cough from the 11th.

Also, a family of five living in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, was infected with COVID-19. One of them visited the store on the 8th and tested positive on the 14th. The other four family members were confirmed positive two days later.

A man in his 20s living in Gwangju also tested positive after visiting the store. Additionally, two coworkers who had contact with this man were confirmed positive. Some of the confirmed cases who directly visited the store were found to have visited multiple facilities such as large supermarkets, outlets, hospitals, and restaurants, raising concerns about further spread.

On the 16th, the Starbucks Yadang Station branch in Yadang-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, was closed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). On this day, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases related to the Starbucks Yadang Station branch exceeded 40.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Some Citizens Visiting Cafes Complain About Inconvenience of Strengthened Quarantine Rules

Given the situation, anxiety is growing that cafe-originated COVID-19 may spread nationwide. The issue is whether people visiting cafes properly follow the strengthened quarantine rules. According to the revised rules, cafe users must wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking, minimize their stay time, and refrain from conversations.

However, some citizens complain that due to the nature of cafe use, it seems difficult to properly follow these rules.

Kim, a man in his early 40s who works in Seoul, said, "The rule is to put the mask back on when talking and take it off when drinking, but I think almost no one follows this rule." He added, "However, since the COVID-19 spread is frightening right now, I hope people visiting cafes strictly follow the quarantine rules."

Another office worker in his 30s, Park, expressed a similar opinion. He said, "People come to cafes not only to drink coffee but mostly to talk. Drinking a little, putting the mask back on, talking, and then taking the mask off again to drink coffee seems a bit cumbersome to people." However, Park also expressed concern about the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. He emphasized, "Since dozens of confirmed cases have emerged from cafes, everyone should strictly follow quarantine rules not only in cafes but everywhere."

On the 16th, the first day of the social distancing level upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2 in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, multi-use facilities such as churches, wedding halls, and water parks relatively calmly complied with quarantine rules. The photo shows the entrance of a PC bang in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do on that day.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Expert: "All Conditions Are Met for a Large-Scale Widespread Epidemic"

An expert expressed concern that the number of confirmed cases could increase further given the current COVID-19 spread.

Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said in an interview with CBS Kim Hyun-jung's News Show on the 17th, "Compared to the Shincheonji and Itaewon incidents, Seoul, Gyeonggi, and the metropolitan area have a much larger population, higher population density, and more movement. During the holiday period, there were gatherings, so all conditions are met for a large-scale widespread epidemic."

He continued, "The confirmed cases we see now were infected one to two weeks ago. We believe significant community transmission has occurred during that time. There is a high possibility that many more people have been infected than the confirmed cases we see. These infected individuals will continue to be confirmed, so the number of confirmed cases could increase."

Regarding the possibility of COVID-19 variants, he said, "We are fully considering the possibility of variants. While we do not exclude the possibility that the virus has mutated into a more transmissible form, the more direct causes seem to be the decrease in mask-wearing rates and increased intensity of people's movement and contact." He urged people to wear masks.

Amid a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, the Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center screening clinic in Seoul is crowded on the afternoon of the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Starbucks temporarily suspended operations and conducted disinfection after a customer who visited the Paju Yadang Station branch on the 8th tested positive on the 12th. Although the store reopened, it was closed again on the same day due to additional confirmed cases.

Additionally, Paju City announced that it issued an administrative order restricting gatherings for 574 rest and dining establishments, including all coffee shops in the area, from the 16th to the 30th for two weeks.

This measure was independently issued by the city to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19 through coffee shop users in the area, separate from the administrative order restricting gatherings at religious facilities issued by Gyeonggi Province on the 15th.

Mayor Choi Jong-hwan stated, "The administrative order restricting gatherings at all coffee shops is unavoidable to prevent the spread of cluster infections. This decision was made to protect the lives and safety of citizens at a critical point in the spread of COVID-19, so we ask businesses and citizens to actively cooperate with a mature sense of solidarity."

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