Andong City, COVID-19 'Cluster Infection' at Taekwondo Academy... 33 Students and Families Confirmed Positive in Two Days

Songhyeon-dong Mirae Taekwondo, 2 confirmed cases on 26th and 31 on 27th
In Pohang, 6 confirmed cases including 2 from administrative order tests and 4 related to bathhouse
As of midnight on 28th, cumulative confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk increased by

On January 27, citizens lined up in front of the selective testing site set up in Daejam-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, to get tested for COVID-19. Pohang City issued an administrative order requiring at least one person per household in all dong areas and some eup areas to undergo testing by February 3. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] A cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to a Taekwondo academy has emerged in Andong City, Gyeongbuk Province, where news of new infections had been scarce.

According to Gyeongbuk Province and Andong City on the 28th, 31 students and their family members at Mirae Taekwondo Academy located in Songhyeon-dong were confirmed positive one after another the previous day. Earlier, on the 26th, confirmed cases number 152 and 153 in Andong were identified as students of this academy, prompting health authorities to conduct comprehensive testing of those associated with the academy.

In Pohang, where an administrative order for 'at least one diagnostic test per household' was issued, six new cases were confirmed on the 27th. Two of them tested positive through tests conducted under the administrative order, while the other four were residents who had contact with previously confirmed cases related to a public bathhouse.

In Gyeongsan City, among three new confirmed cases, two were additionally infected after contact with confirmed cases from Cheongdo, and one contact of a local confirmed case tested positive in a test conducted before ending self-quarantine.

In Gimcheon City, among two new confirmed cases, one was a resident who had contact with a confirmed case from Chilgok, and the other tested positive during a test conducted for prison admission. In Chilgok County, one resident with an unknown infection route tested positive at a screening clinic.

As a result, as of midnight on the 28th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region increased by 43 (31 in Andong, 6 in Pohang, 3 in Gyeongsan, 2 in Gimcheon, and 1 in Chilgok) compared to the previous day, totaling 2,894 cases (according to Gyeongbuk Province's own tally).

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