First COVID-19 Case Confirmed Among National Police Agency Headquarters Staff... Partial Closure of Building and Self-Quarantine Measures for Contacts (Comprehensive)

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, where a COVID-19 case was confirmed on the 21st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kwanju Lee and Donghoon Jung] An employee at the National Police Agency headquarters tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), prompting the police to urgently disinfect and close part of the headquarters building.

According to the National Police Agency on the 21st, one employee belonging to the Information and Communication Convergence Division working at the police headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, was notified by health authorities of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis at around 8:50 a.m. that day. After confirming the fact, the police placed all employees working on the 13th floor under self-quarantine and instructed them to undergo COVID-19 testing. Additionally, employees who worked in the 12th-floor office visited by the confirmed case, as well as those who stayed in the same time and place such as the cafeteria, were also placed under self-quarantine and required to get tested.

The police also closed and disinfected the 13th floor office where the confirmed officer worked. Furthermore, disinfection measures were completed for the 12th-floor office frequently visited by the confirmed case, the building’s information desk, elevators, and cafeteria.

This is the first time a confirmed case has occurred at the National Police Agency headquarters, where the police chief and many senior police officials work. Health authorities, including the Seodaemun Public Health Center, will conduct an epidemiological investigation into the infection route of the confirmed employee. It has been reported that the officer was not deployed during the Gwangbokjeol Gwanghwamun rally. Depending on the epidemiological investigation results, the police are expected to decide on office operations and who can return to work.

Meanwhile, the police plan to complete COVID-19 testing for about 9,500 officers who responded to the Gwangbokjeol rally by the end of the day. As of 8 a.m. that day, 7,751 (81.3%) out of 9,536 targeted officers had been tested, with four confirmed positive cases among them.

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