"Do We Need to Wear Masks at Home?" Can Family Transmission of COVID-19 Be Prevented?

1 in 4 Recently Infected with COVID-19 is Due to 'Family Transmission'
Usually Spreads from 40s-50s Generation to Children
Experts Advise "Follow Hygiene Rules at Home and Avoid Outside Gatherings"

On the morning of the 13th of last month, citizens wearing masks hurried on their way to work at Gangnam Station in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea has entered a pandemic state, cases of infection among family members continue, threatening not only society but also the home. In particular, family transmission cannot be prevented even with enhanced social distancing measures, raising concerns.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 29th, there were 1,046 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea, with a cumulative total of 58,725 confirmed cases. From the 23rd to the 29th, the daily new cases over the past week were 1,090 → 985 → 1,241 → 1,132 → 970 → 808 → 1,046, consistently exceeding 1,000 cases.

The government has strengthened social distancing measures and implemented special year-end and New Year quarantine measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, but the spread has not been easily contained.

The most concerning aspect is the transmission among family members. In the past month, one in four confirmed cases was infected through family transmission, and the risk of family transmission has not decreased. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, among 15,111 confirmed cases reported over about a month from the 20th of last month to the 16th of this month, 24.2% (3,654 cases) were infected through a previously confirmed family member.

On the 28th, among 22 confirmed cases related to a foot bath experience room in Busan, 11 infections were traced to family transmission. Additionally, two family members of the first confirmed case of the UK variant virus in South Korea also tested positive in subsequent diagnostic tests. Furthermore, among the 25 recent confirmed cases in Gangwon Province, which had been relatively stable compared to the metropolitan area, 9 were transmitted through family infection, indicating that family transmission cases continue.

On the afternoon of the 25th, when the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) reached the 1,200s, citizens lined up to get tested at a temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Plaza. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Most family transmissions began with people in their 40s and 50s, who are socially active due to work, becoming infected first, followed by secondary transmission within the household. The age groups of the first confirmed cases within families were 40s at 32% and 50s at 29.9%, making the 40s and 50s the most common. As a result, among 10 pediatric and adolescent confirmed cases aged 0 to 19, more than 4 were infected through secondary transmission within the family. In particular, 44% of confirmed cases aged 20 or younger were infected through secondary transmission at home.

Family transmission is especially dangerous because it cannot be prevented even if social distancing levels are raised due to the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea. Recently, the social distancing level was raised from level 2 to 2.5 within ten days, but the number of confirmed cases did not decrease as easily as before, which appears to be due to this reason.

Office worker Mr. A (51) said, "Even though I wear a mask at work, I have no choice but to buy lunch, and I often think it’s risky because I commute by public transportation. I’m very careful, throwing away used masks immediately when I get home and washing my hands right away so I don’t infect my family."

Also, Ms. B (23) said, "My parents go to work, so they are in a much riskier situation than me who stays at home, so I’m worried. We eat dinner together once a day as a family, but if we can’t even eat together because of anxiety, it would feel very bleak." She added, "To prevent possible infection, we might have to do that, but it’s sad to have to eat separately and wear masks even at home."

In this situation, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized at the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 28th, "Middle-aged and older adults should thoroughly follow quarantine rules at work and in social activities to protect the safety of their beloved families. Please also practice personal hygiene rules at home and refrain from family gatherings or events at least for this year."

Experts also explained that even if social distancing and quarantine rules are well observed at the workplace, face-to-face contact at home is unavoidable, leading to transmission through shared meals and other interactions.

Professor Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "The virus is already widely spread in the community, but since contact is constant at home and masks are not worn, family transmission inevitably occurs frequently. The virus has now penetrated not only social communities but also homes."

Professor Kim continued, "Society refers to public spaces outside the home, and even if social distancing is maintained in society, contact at home cannot be prevented, so now quarantine through social distancing alone has become difficult. It is important to avoid unnecessary gatherings and exercise maximum caution among family members."

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