Seoul City Employee Confirmed with COVID-19, Infection Suspected at Bible Study Meeting... No Additional Cases Reported

On the 20th, employees are arriving at the new Seoul City Hall building. After a confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported among city hall staff the previous day, Seoul City Hall closed the entire new building and conducted disinfection operations. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] According to an investigation by Seoul City, the first Seoul City Hall employee confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) likely became infected at a Bible study meeting attended during the holiday period. So far, no additional confirmed cases have been reported within Seoul City Hall.

Seoul City announced that after this City Hall employee was confirmed positive on the 19th, COVID-19 diagnostic tests were conducted on 335 people, including coworkers on the same floor. As of the morning of the 21st, 161 people have tested negative. The remaining individuals are either undergoing testing or awaiting results.

According to Seoul City's own epidemiological investigation, this employee, who resides in Gyeonggi-do, attended a Bible study meeting with several dozen participants during the holiday period from the 15th to the 17th. It is known that several confirmed cases have emerged among attendees of this joint Bible study meeting, which included members from various churches.

The employee went to work at the Seoul City Hall main office on the 2nd floor at 9 a.m. on the 18th, the day after the holiday ended. Upon feeling symptoms, he underwent a COVID-19 test around 3 p.m. at the nearby National Medical Center and then entered self-quarantine after returning home.

He was notified of a positive test result on the afternoon of the 19th. Seoul City immediately evacuated all employees from the building, closed the entire facility, and conducted disinfection and quarantine measures.

Considering the timing of symptom onset and attendance at the Bible study meeting, the city believes it is highly likely that the employee was infected at the Bible study meeting during the holiday period.

The period from the 15th to the 17th was when Seoul City issued an order restricting gatherings at all religious facilities, banning all small group activities except for regular worship services, masses, and Buddhist ceremonies. Seoul City plans to verify the employee’s detailed movements and infection route, as well as whether the meeting he attended violated city guidelines.

A city official stated, "As a preemptive measure, we are conducting comprehensive testing on 335 people who worked on the same floor as the confirmed case on the 18th and 19th. So far, there are no additional confirmed cases, and testing will also be available for visitors to the 2nd floor or employees on other floors who wish to be tested."

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