'Worsening Variant Virus'... Growing Anxiety Over Community Transmission

21 Confirmed Cases in Goyang Over Two Days of New Year Holidays... 3 Additional Variant Virus Cases Confirmed
Proposal for Initial Control of Variant Virus Risk Area Arrivals at Airport

Temporary Screening Clinic

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] In Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, where the number of confirmed cases related to nursing hospitals shows no signs of slowing down, 21 people tested positive during the two days of the New Year holiday. Among them, 9 are confirmed cases related to nursing hospitals.

Goyang City is also unable to hide concerns and anxiety about the spread to the local community after confirming that the family members of a confirmed patient who died after arriving from the UK were infected with the variant virus.

According to Goyang City on the 2nd, 9 confirmed cases are from nursing hospitals, 4 are family infections, 1 is contact with a local confirmed case, and 3 are contacts with confirmed cases from other regions. The infection routes of the remaining 4 are under investigation.

By district, 13 residents are from Deogyang-gu, 2 from Ilsandong-gu, and 3 from Ilsanseo-gu. Additionally, 3 residents are from other regions.

In particular, on the evening of the 1st, during a preemptive test at a nursing hospital in Deogyang-gu by the Deogyang-gu Public Health Center, one staff member at nursing hospital A located in Deogyang-gu was confirmed positive for the first time, prompting health authorities to conduct mass testing on a total of 300 people, including 195 residents, staff, and 105 caregivers.

On that day, 8 more people tested positive, including 3 residents and 5 staff and caregivers, bringing the total confirmed cases to 9.

All 9 confirmed cases were from the 6th floor of the hospital, and as of 4 p.m. that day, cohort isolation of the 6th floor of the hospital was underway. A second mass test is scheduled to be conducted again on the 3rd.

In addition, on the 2nd, one Goyang citizen (resident of Deogyang-gu) was confirmed positive at the Eunpyeong-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. As of 4 p.m. that day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Goyang City was 1,493.

Meanwhile, the city emphasized the limitations of local government-level quarantine measures due to the characteristics of the variant virus and stated that the central government must promptly resolve the management issues of overseas entrants.

Lee Chun-pyo, the 2nd Deputy Mayor of Goyang City, emphasized at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting and a video conference of 31 local governments hosted by Gyeonggi Province that "Inbound travelers from COVID-19 variant virus risk areas must undergo initial control near the airport (including a 2-week quarantine facility and two COVID-19 tests) to completely block transmission to the local community in advance."

The city confirmed on December 30 last year that a confirmed patient who died after arriving from the UK was infected with the variant virus, strengthened quarantine measures related to them, and disclosed this to citizens. On this day, it was also confirmed that the deceased’s family members were infected with the variant virus.

Three additional confirmed cases with the variant virus are currently hospitalized, and although all 135 citizens tested for COVID-19 after tracing their movements were confirmed negative, the city is monitoring the situation closely.

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