Government: "Initial Spread of Gwanghwamun Rally Considered Contained"

"However, Secondary and Tertiary Transmission Mainly Occurs in Local Communities"

Son Young-rae, Head of Strategic Planning Team, Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The government judged on the 4th that the primary transmission related to the COVID-19 cluster infection that occurred at the Gwanghwamun rally in Seoul appears to be mostly concluded. However, since additional infection transmission is occurring within the communities to which the primary confirmed cases belong, it explained that the strengthened social distancing measures needed to be extended.

Son Youngrae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters that day, "Overall, we judge that the period of the first wave related to the (Gwanghwamun rally) is coming to an end."

He added, "However, we see that secondary and tertiary transmissions are occurring mainly in various gatherings and multi-use facilities within the communities where the confirmed cases belong."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of 12 PM that day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the Gwanghwamun rally was 473, with 11 additional confirmed cases compared to the previous day (the 3rd). By region, there are 243 cases in the metropolitan area and 230 cases in non-metropolitan areas.

So far, there have been 11 locations where additional transmissions related to the Gwanghwamun rally occurred, resulting in a cumulative total of 119 confirmed cases.

Regarding this, Head Son explained, "The overall first wave curve of the initial cluster is coming to an end," but also said, "Secondary and tertiary waves are continuously occurring in a chain across various small gatherings scattered from the metropolitan area to all parts of the country."

He added, "These phenomena were among the reasons for the decision to extend the strengthened social distancing level 2.5 measures in the metropolitan area and level 2 measures in non-metropolitan areas today."

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