Dozens of Group Infections Across Locations... Expected to Exceed 500, the Highest Since Shincheonji

On the 25th, a sentry at the guard post of a new recruit training battalion of an Army unit in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, is closing the entrance door after allowing quarantine authorities into the base.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading in multi-use facilities and places where group living occurs, causing cluster outbreaks involving dozens of people in various locations. As the third wave phase begins, the rate of increase is steepening. On the 25th alone, the number of new confirmed cases is expected to exceed 500, marking the highest daily figure since the end of February.

According to the combined announcements from quarantine authorities and local governments on the 26th, about 336 new confirmed cases were recorded from midnight to 6 p.m. the previous day. This figure does not include the cluster outbreak at a new recruit training center in Gyeonggi Province or the cluster outbreak within an academy in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, which were reported late the previous afternoon. In these two clusters alone, the number of new confirmed cases exceeds 100, and adding these brings the total new confirmed cases found during the previous day well into the mid-400s.

The spread is clearly evident through crowded multi-use facilities, institutions, and locations. While cases of cluster infections spreading despite adherence to quarantine rules such as mask-wearing had somewhat decreased, the increase in opportunities for face-to-face indoor meetings during the year-end winter season has had a significant impact. The easing of social distancing measures and the resulting lowered or relaxed vigilance among citizens are also favorable factors for virus spread.

The highest number of new confirmed cases in a single day since the first COVID-19 patient was identified domestically in late January was on February 29, when a large-scale outbreak centered on Shincheonji Church of Jesus believers in Daegu and Gyeongbuk occurred. At that time, 909 new patients were identified in one day. After the large-scale Shincheonji outbreak, the highest number of cases was recorded on August 27, when 441 people were confirmed positive amid sporadic cluster infections spreading nationwide through metropolitan area churches and downtown rallies. This was the highest daily number since the first wave in February-March. If the number of new cases exceeds 500 on this day, a new record will be set.

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