Jeju, Provincial and City Halls 'Partially Closed'... Confirmed Entry of Patient No. 40 into Government Building

Emergency Due to Concerns of Large-Scale Spread

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Chang-won] It was confirmed by quarantine authorities that the 40th confirmed COVID-19 patient in Jeju visited Jeju Provincial Office and Jeju City Hall, leading to an unprecedented closure of both the provincial and city government buildings.

On the 30th, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province held a joint briefing and announced that patient A, the 40th confirmed case, had visited Jeju Provincial Office and Jeju City Hall, prompting emergency disinfection and partial closure of the affected departments.

Patient A visited six departments, including the Autonomous Administration Division, in the first annex building of Jeju Provincial Office on the 24th. On the 25th and 27th, CCTV footage confirmed visits to nine departments, including the General Affairs Division, in the main building of Jeju City Hall. It was revealed that the patient conducted cosmetic product promotion activities by distributing cosmetic samples to employees while moving between departments.

Patient A was confirmed positive through COVID-19 testing after it was found that they had used Sanbangsan Carbonated Hot Springs at the same time on the 23rd as a pastor couple (29th and 33rd confirmed cases) who had previously tested positive. Notably, patient A wore a so-called 'celebrity mask,' which has no protective function, while moving around the departments of Jeju Provincial Office and Jeju City Hall, raising further concerns about additional spread.

Accordingly, Jeju's quarantine authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the relevant departments in the provincial and city offices to identify close contacts. The affected departments are currently closed for 24 hours (Provincial Office until noon on the 30th, City Hall until 12:30 PM on the 30th), and employees from these departments are reported to be in self-isolation at home.

Jeju Infectious Disease Support Management Team Leader Bae Jong-myeon stated, “CCTV confirmed that the 40th confirmed patient wore a ‘celebrity mask,’ which is almost equivalent to not wearing a mask at all. We will identify close contacts through CCTV footage of the departments visited by patient 40 and prioritize diagnostic testing to provide information as quickly as possible.”

In addition, following the 29th confirmed case on the 24th and the ongoing cluster infections at guesthouses and Sanbangsan Carbonated Hot Springs, Jeju Province decided to reinforce the current epidemiological investigation team. Going forward, the epidemiological team will be divided into a guesthouse team and a Sanbangsan Carbonated Hot Springs team to focus intensively on related cases.

Team Leader Bae said, “Analyzing the cases of confirmed patients so far, we have reached a situation where we cannot confidently rule out the risk of community infection. We urge residents to consider the possibility of community transmission and to visit nearby public health centers or screening clinics for consultation and testing if they experience any abnormal symptoms.”

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