Relief After Suneung Exam... Could It Trigger a Cluster Infection?

Expert: "After Suneung, refraining from outside activities and staying at home is best"

With over 490,000 examinees preparing to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), health authorities have been put on high alert. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Today, approximately 490,000 examinees are taking the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), raising alarms over COVID-19 prevention measures. While the CSAT itself poses risks due to the large gathering of people, there are concerns that mass gatherings of students on the streets after the exam could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cluster infections. Experts have pointed out that since cluster infections are occurring frequently beyond just the CSAT, more attention must be paid to prevention efforts.

On the 3rd, the CSAT began simultaneously at 8:40 a.m. across 86 test districts nationwide. This year, 493,433 candidates registered for the exam, a 10.1% decrease (55,301 fewer) compared to 548,734 candidates in the 2020 academic year.

Earlier, the Ministry of Education and health authorities established measures such as partitions and separate testing rooms to ensure all examinees could take the exam without issues and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each examinee must confirm whether they are asymptomatic, symptomatic, quarantined, or confirmed positive, and familiarize themselves with the test location and mask requirements. Especially since symptoms may appear or a positive diagnosis may be received the day before or on the day of the exam, examinees will take the test according to the appropriate response procedures for each situation.

At a regular briefing on the 1st, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "Examinees should refrain from using multi-use facilities, academies, and private tutoring centers until the day before the CSAT and prepare for the exam using remote classes to minimize infection opportunities." He added, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will establish a dedicated hotline to identify confirmed and quarantined examinees and organize and operate work teams." He emphasized, "The domestic COVID-19 situation is at a crossroads. It is a critical moment whether the spread will escalate or be suppressed."

However, the CSAT, taken by nearly 490,000 people nationwide, is a high-risk environment characterized by the three Cs: crowded, close-contact, and confined spaces. Although examinees are managed by categories such as general examinees, self-quarantined, and confirmed cases, the possibility of contact is inevitably high as many take the exam together in small classrooms.

While the exam itself is risky, there are concerns that the activities of examinees after the CSAT could also trigger a COVID-19 pandemic surge. After finishing the exam, students are likely to flood PC rooms, movie theaters, karaoke rooms, and other places they have not been able to visit due to restrictions, driven by a sense of liberation.

Currently, social distancing measures restrict visits to some multi-use facilities, but they are not completely banned, so it is impossible to prevent examinees from using these facilities after the exam. Moreover, since the entire country is not under Level 2 social distancing, the risk of infection is even higher.

Given this situation, various online communities such as mom cafes express concerns that this kind of examinee behavior might trigger a third wave of the pandemic. One member said, "Hundreds of COVID-19 cases are being reported daily," and added, "The spread of COVID-19 among CSAT examinees is a problem, but what should we do about students who will come out on the streets after the exam feeling liberated?"

They continued, "Of course, students will try to restrain themselves as much as possible, but the desire for freedom after being suppressed is stronger than anyone else's, so it cannot be stopped," and expressed concern, "If this continues, December might become the worst month due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

On the afternoon of October 14th, the streets of Myeongdong, Seoul, were bustling with office workers moving for lunch. Photo by Yonhap News

In particular, anxiety is growing as additional admissions processes such as interviews and essay tests remain after the CSAT. According to admissions communities like 'Sumanhwi' (Let's Wave the Perfect CSAT Test Papers) and 'Orbi,' examinees express concerns such as "I'm scared of catching COVID-19 since I still have essay and interview tests after the CSAT," "If I get COVID-19 by bad luck, I won't even be able to take the essay test," and "Honestly, who would just stay home after the CSAT?"

In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye urged strict compliance with prevention guidelines during a briefing on the 26th of last month, stating, "Since university-specific admissions continue after the CSAT, only by thoroughly following prevention rules can we protect the safety of the entire Republic of Korea."

Local governments are also stepping up prevention efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 after the CSAT. Seoul City announced on the 2nd that it will enter special COVID-19 situation management in preparation for the post-CSAT period. The city will strengthen prevention measures targeting three types of facilities where examinees are likely to gather: karaoke rooms, PC rooms, and movie theaters. Additionally, about 2,000 private academies preparing students for essay and interview tests will be inspected regularly.

Experts urge examinees to stay home rather than engage in outside activities after the CSAT.

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "Infection can occur anywhere nationwide," and pointed out, "There is a possibility of asymptomatic infected individuals at the CSAT test sites, so it could be risky for students to go out and have fun after the exam." He added, "Especially since essay and interview tests remain, it is better to refrain from going out for the sake of other examinees," and advised, "Spending time at home is advisable."

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