22 New COVID-19 Cases Among Students and Staff in One Day... 849 Schools Nationwide Unable to Hold Classes (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Within a single day, 14 students from kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, along with 8 school staff members, were confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). On the 21st, 849 schools across 7 cities and provinces nationwide were unable to conduct scheduled in-person classes, marking the highest number of schools giving up on attendance since the phased return to school began in May.

According to the Ministry of Education as of midnight on the 21st, 5 students each in Seoul and Gyeonggi, 3 in Busan, and 1 in Gwangju were newly confirmed positive, totaling 14 students. Consequently, the total number of student cases nationwide since the phased return on May 20 reached 213.

Among school staff, 8 were confirmed positive nationwide within a day. On the 20th, 4 people including social service agents in Seoul, 3 in Gyeonggi Province, and 1 in Incheon tested positive. Including students and staff, a total of 22 additional confirmed cases occurred.

As of 4 p.m. on the 20th, the number of students not attending school was 7,753, an increase of 780 from the previous day (19th). Among them, 492 are under self-quarantine according to health authorities' standards, 6,425 did not meet attendance criteria in pre-attendance self-diagnosis, and 836 felt unwell after attending school and were sent home.

As of 10 a.m. on the 21st, the number of schools that suspended in-person classes was 849, including 610 kindergartens, 172 elementary schools, 47 middle schools, 15 high schools, and 5 special schools. Following 714 schools the previous day, 135 schools newly gave up attendance, which is the highest number since the phased return to school began in the first semester.

By region, there were 96 schools in Gangwon, 17 in Gyeonggi, 12 in Seoul, 5 in Busan, 5 in Ulsan, 2 in Chungbuk, and 1 in Gyeongnam.

Previously, on May 28, 838 schools across 7 cities and provinces suspended attendance due to infections originating from the Coupang logistics center.

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