Jeju Reports 15 New COVID-19 Cases Including 'High School Student Cluster'... Highest Since First Infection (Update)

As local infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread in Jeju Island, citizens are undergoing COVID-19 testing at a screening clinic set up at Jeju City Public Health Center on the morning of the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] On the 15th, 15 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Jeju in a single day. This is the highest number since the first confirmed case on February 21. In particular, additional infections occurred at Daegigo High School, increasing the total number of confirmed cases related to Daegigo to eight.

On the 16th, the provincial government announced that following the 15 new confirmed cases (cases 128 to 142) reported the previous day, four more cases (cases 143 to 146) were confirmed early that morning. This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province to 146.

Case 134, confirmed positive around 6 p.m. on the 15th, was found to have a travel history to other regions.

Additionally, cases 135 to 139 were all identified as students of Daegigo High School. Including case 120, who was first confirmed positive around 5 p.m. on the 14th, the total number of confirmed students at Daegigo has reached eight.

Earlier, on the 15th, the provincial government conducted mass COVID-19 testing on 476 second-year students and staff at Daegigo High School located in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City.

Among them, seven individuals (cases 132, 133, 135, 136, 137, 138, and 139) tested positive, while the remaining 469 tested negative.

Subsequently, case 140 was confirmed around 9 p.m. on the 15th, followed by additional cases 141 and 142.

At 12:30 a.m. on the 16th, cases 143 and 144 were confirmed, and around 4:15 a.m., cases 145 and 146 were identified.

Case 145 is a family member of case 140, and case 146 is a family member of case 133, a Daegigo student.

Meanwhile, the provincial government is conducting epidemiological investigations to trace the infection routes of the confirmed cases and plans to implement quarantine measures as soon as detailed movement paths are confirmed.

The provincial quarantine authorities are analyzing credit card usage records and on-site closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to track the movements and classify contacts of these individuals.

The government also plans to conduct additional mass testing for approximately 300 first-year students at Daegigo High School on the afternoon of the 16th.

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