Professor Group "Non-Face-to-Face Classes Until Chuseok... Concerns Over Asymptomatic Infections Originating from Universities"

195 New COVID-19 Cases on the 3rd... Below 200 for the First Time in 17 Days

Last March, Professor Jeon Eun-chae of the Department of Advanced Materials Engineering at Ulsan University was recording a video lecture for an online course on advanced materials manufacturing processes in a classroom. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Gayeon] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, a professors' organization has urged that non-face-to-face classes be conducted through the Chuseok holiday period.

The Korean Council of University Professors (HanGyoHyeop) issued a press release on the 3rd, stating, "For the safety of students and faculty, universities and the government should conduct non-face-to-face classes at least until the Chuseok holiday," adding, "If face-to-face classes increase at the beginning of the second semester and coincide with the Chuseok holiday period, the worst-case scenario of a second large-scale COVID-19 outbreak originating from universities will be an unavoidable reality."

HanGyoHyeop said, "Recently, among universities in the metropolitan area, multiple cases have occurred where students or faculty at Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, Hanyang University, Hongik University, and others have tested positive for COVID-19, or university facilities have been exposed to confirmed cases," and added, "If COVID-19 spreads in university areas, asymptomatic infections originating from universities will gradually increase, especially in regions where young people are mainly active."

They continued, "The dedicated medical staff stationed within universities to respond to COVID-19 consists of zero doctors and only 1 to 2 nurses per university, so the actual capacity of universities to respond to COVID-19 is nonexistent," emphasizing, "In preparation for the worst-case COVID-19 spread, the government and each university must take extraordinary measures," underscoring the necessity of non-face-to-face classes.

According to HanGyoHyeop, a survey on the class formats for the second semester at 18 major universities found that 17 universities, except Sungkyunkwan University, are conducting fully non-face-to-face classes for a certain period after the semester begins. Sungkyunkwan University is conducting a mix of face-to-face and non-face-to-face classes.

Eight universities, including Konkuk University, Kookmin University, Dankook University, Dongguk University, Woosong University, Ewha Womans University, Hanyang University, and Hongik University, switched to fully non-face-to-face classes for 1 to 2 weeks after the semester started. Nine universities, including Kyung Hee University, Korea University, Sangmyung University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, Soongsil University, Yonsei University, Chung-Ang University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, are conducting non-face-to-face classes until the midterms in September or October.

Meanwhile, the number of new confirmed cases fell below 200 for the first time in 17 days on the same day.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of 12 a.m. on the day, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases was 195. This brings the total cumulative confirmed cases to 20,644. Among the new confirmed cases, 7 were imported from overseas, and excluding these, 188 cases were locally transmitted.

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