Two Elementary Students Confirmed COVID-19 Positive in Gangseo-gu, Busan... Transition to Remote Classes

Busan Office of Education Conducts Comprehensive Survey of Over 300 Students, Staff, and Academies Related to Same-Class Friend Gender Issues

On the 22nd, when social distancing level 2 was in effect, chairs were placed on tables at a restaurant in Hadong-eup, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam, which had suspended operations. [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Two COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the same class at an elementary school in Gangseo-gu, Busan.

The school switched to remote classes for the entire grade on the 23rd and began a full investigation of about 300 individuals classified as contacts, including students, staff, and academy attendees.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 22nd that student A (Gyeongnam Other No.4) from an elementary school in Gangseo-gu and student B (Busan No.631), a classmate of A, tested positive for COVID-19.

Student A's maternal grandmother (Gyeongnam No.450) was confirmed positive on November 19. On the 20th, the student and family were tested at Jinhae Public Health Center in Changwon City, and the entire family was confirmed positive on the 21st.

It was confirmed that student A and their family, including parents and younger sibling, visited the maternal grandmother's house in Changwon City, Gyeongnam, on November 14-15.

The elementary school attended by student A had been conducting in-person classes for all grades since November 2, and student A attended school until the 19th.

Student B, a classmate of student A, was confirmed positive on the 22nd through contact tracing and screening tests conducted by Busan quarantine authorities on the 21st.

Student B attended in-person classes at the elementary school until the 20th.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education disinfected the elementary school on the 21st and switched all grades to remote classes for one day on the 23rd. Additionally, the entire grade of the confirmed students and one other class on the same floor as that grade will switch to remote classes until December 3.

They also recommended temporary closure of academies, private tutoring centers, and individual tutors attended by students A and B, and plan to take follow-up measures such as disinfection through quarantine authorities.

On the afternoon of the 21st, Busan quarantine authorities set up a screening clinic at the elementary school and conducted full testing on 257 people, including 160 students from five classes of the same grade as student B and one class from another grade on the same floor, 27 after-school program participants, and 70 staff members.

Additionally, 55 contacts from academies and other places were also tested for COVID-19.

Among them, a total of nine people, including five elementary school students and four academy-related individuals, underwent additional testing at Gangseo-gu Public Health Center on the 22nd.

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