Seoul Reports 7 New COVID-19 Cases by 6 PM... Declining Trend but Vigilance Still Needed (Comprehensive)

SR, the operator of the Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT), announced on the 27th that it has strengthened disinfection measures at stations and inside trains to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] On the third day of the Chuseok holiday, the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Seoul area recorded single digits, but small-scale sporadic infections continue in workplaces and other places.

According to Seoul City, from midnight to 6 p.m. on the 2nd, during an 18-hour period, 7 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed. This means that after 11 cases were confirmed at midnight on the 2nd, 7 more cases were added within 18 hours.

Previously, Seoul City classified new cluster infections related to a couple in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province (Mapo-gu daycare center & Seocho-gu post office), Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance in Gangnam-gu, a high school in Mapo-gu, and LG Uplus in Seocho-gu.

Most of the additional confirmed patients during the 18 hours were contacts of existing confirmed cases, identified as 2 in Gangseo-gu, 2 in Seongdong-gu, 2 in Mapo-gu, and 1 in Dongdaemun-gu.

The two in Gangseo-gu are Mr. A (Gangseo 289) and Mr. B (Gangseo 290), living in Hwagok 4-dong. Mr. A was tested and confirmed positive on the 2nd after contact with a confirmed case from Yongsan-gu at his workplace on the 30th of last month. Mr. B was tested on the 18th of last month after contact with a confirmed case in Seodaemun-gu. Initially testing negative and entering self-quarantine, Mr. B was confirmed positive two weeks later on the 2nd.

The two in Seongdong-gu are Mr. C (Seongdong 123), in his 20s living in Geumho 2.3 ga-dong, and Mr. D (Seongdong 124), in his 30s living in Geumho 4 ga-dong. Both were confirmed positive after contact with Seongdong 120. Mr. C took a 50-minute walk with one acquaintance at Daehyeonsan Reservoir Park in Geumho 1 ga-dong from 7 p.m. on the 28th of last month before his diagnosis, and spent the rest of the time at home. Mr. D was found to be an asymptomatic carrier.

In Mapo-gu, cases 172 and 173 were confirmed. Patient 172 is a family member of patient 171 in the same district, who developed symptoms on the 29th of last month and was tested. Patient 173 is asymptomatic, and the exact infection route is currently under investigation.

In Dongdaemun-gu, Mr. E, living in Yongsan-dong, became patient 155 in the district. Mr. E is an asymptomatic confirmed case, and infection is expected to have come from a confirmed case in another city or province. On the 30th of last month, Mr. E headed to Suseo Station by subway but returned home immediately after being contacted as a contact of a confirmed case from another city or province. He then visited a screening clinic, was tested, and confirmed positive the next day.

As a result, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Seoul area has increased to at least 5,341.

Health authorities noted that although the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes has decreased to 18%, there is concern that the number of confirmed cases may surge due to Chuseok. They repeatedly urged people to refrain from going out and to rest at home until the end of the holiday.

In particular, regarding the rallies scheduled nationwide tomorrow for Gaecheonjeol, they requested avoiding dense gatherings, chanting slogans, and communal meals.

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