Seoul Reports at Least 140 New COVID-19 Cases Yesterday... Noryangjin and City Hall Also Breached

Today's Teacher Certification Exam Proceeds as Scheduled... New COVID-19 Cases Expected to Surpass 'August Major Outbreak'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) intensifies in Seoul, the number of new daily confirmed cases is approaching an all-time high. By 6 p.m. yesterday alone, the number of confirmed cases had already reached 140, leading to predictions that the daily new cases will surpass the previous record of 154.

At Seoul City Hall, the city's quarantine control tower, confirmed cases have been reported for two consecutive days, and a large-scale cluster infection has occurred in the Noryangjin academy district, where examinees have gathered ahead of the secondary school teacher employment exam. Since more than 30 confirmed cases have already been reported among academy attendees, and the secondary school teacher employment exam is scheduled nationwide on the 21st, there are concerns about the spread of infection at the exam sites.

◆ 140 New Confirmed Cases as of 6 p.m. the Previous Day= According to Seoul City on the 21st, from midnight to 6 p.m. the previous day, a total of 140 additional COVID-19 confirmed cases were identified over 18 hours. As a result, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Seoul has risen to 7,376.

The number of confirmed cases in Seoul has been increasing again this month, recording 74 on the 12th, 85 on the 14th, 90 on the 16th, and 92 on the 17th. Two days ago, on the 18th, the number finally reached triple digits at 109, and on the 19th, it surged to 132.

With at least 140 confirmed cases by 6 p.m. on the 20th, there is a high possibility that the daily record will be broken over the weekend. The day with the highest number of daily new confirmed cases in Seoul so far was August 26, during the second wave influenced by the Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu and the Gwanghwamun downtown rally, with 154 cases.

On that day, additional confirmed cases were reported in most existing cluster infection sites, including a hospital in Gangseo-gu (cumulative 20), an apartment sauna in Seocho-gu (cumulative 38), an alumni sports club (cumulative 13), a fitness center in Gangnam-gu (cumulative 64), the Military Welfare Center in Yongsan-gu (cumulative 23), Yonsei University students (cumulative 12), and a cafe in Dongjak-gu (cumulative 15).

Moreover, if this trend continues, it is expected that Seoul's daily confirmed cases could soon exceed 200. As the number of confirmed cases increases, the number of additional test subjects such as contacts has surged, and the daily number of tests has also exceeded 7,730.

Daily COVID-19 Case Status in Seoul Area

◆ Cluster Infection in Noryangjin Academy District... Confirmed Cases Forfeit Exam= In Noryangjin, a large-scale cluster infection was confirmed three days before the secondary school teacher employment exam on the 21st, triggering an emergency.

Following two confirmed cases among students at a large employment exam academy in Noryangjin on the 18th and 19th, additional students and staff tested positive, increasing the number of related confirmed cases to at least 32 by 2 p.m. on the 21st. Since the health authorities are conducting comprehensive testing on about 200 close contacts, more confirmed cases may emerge.

Especially since many examinees attend multiple academies simultaneously, if close contact classification is delayed, there is concern about further spread of infection among examinees.

Examinees who test positive are immediately quarantined and thus cannot take this year's exam. However, examinees who test negative will take the employment exam as scheduled on the 21st. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has arranged for those in self-quarantine to take the exam at a separately prepared test site.

On the 20th, employees are arriving at the new Seoul City Hall building. After a confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported among city hall staff the previous day, Seoul City Hall closed the entire new building and conducted disinfection operations. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

◆ Additional Confirmed Cases at Seoul City Hall... Main Building Closed = Confirmed cases have also been reported consecutively at Seoul City Hall, leading to the closure of the main building on the afternoon of the 20th. On the 19th, a senior official at City Hall was confirmed positive after being infected by a family member, and on the 20th, another employee from the same department tested positive.

Park Yu-mi, Seoul City's Quarantine Controller (Director of the Citizen Health Bureau), said in a briefing, "The number of confirmed cases is not suddenly decreasing, so it will increase," adding, "The situation is becoming serious, and we are closely monitoring it. I believe this is a turning point in managing an infectious disease of a scale we have never experienced before."

However, criticism has arisen that despite the arrival of the COVID-19 'third wave,' Seoul City's awareness and quarantine response are complacent. There are calls to hasten the elevation of social distancing measures from the current level 1.5 to level 2.

Controller Park said, "We are considering measures specific to Seoul City," and added, "We will listen to experts' opinions and implement measures timely, considering the quarantine situation."

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