Signs of COVID-19 Resurgence After Lunar New Year Holiday in Jeju Region

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] In Jeju, five new COVID-19 cases were confirmed within a day, showing signs of spread from tourists after the Lunar New Year holiday, which had been a concern.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province held a joint COVID-19 briefing on the 18th and announced that a total of 1,062 diagnostic tests were conducted the previous day, among which 5 people (Jeju cases 549 to 553) tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Jeju Province, starting at around 3:25 PM the previous day, one person (case 549) was confirmed positive, followed by four more cases consecutively.

The occurrence of five confirmed cases in one day is the fourth time this year, following February 5th, 8th, and 20th, and the first time this month.

In the Jeju area, the number of new confirmed cases over the past week was 1.28 per day (9 cases from February 10 to 16), with either no cases or just one case occurring daily.

However, with five additional confirmed cases, the average rose to 1.42 per day as of 11 AM on the day (10 cases from February 11 to 17).

In total, 31 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Jeju this month, bringing the cumulative total to 553 cases.

Among the five confirmed cases, three are family members of confirmed cases from the Seoul metropolitan area (cases 549, 552, and 553), and two (cases 550 and 551) are contacts of confirmed cases in Jeju who tested positive while in self-quarantine.

Jeju case 549, a family member of a confirmed case in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, arrived in Jeju on the afternoon of the 14th on a flight from Gimpo to Jeju. Epidemiological investigations so far indicate that after arrival, case 549 mainly stayed at a family member’s home in Jeju.

Jeju case 550 was a contact of Jeju case 534, who was confirmed positive on the 5th, and had been in self-quarantine since that day. One day before the end of quarantine, case 550 visited the Jeju Health Center screening clinic at 9 AM the previous day and was confirmed positive following the test.

Jeju case 551 was one of four people who entered Jeju from the Seoul metropolitan area for tourism on the 6th, including Jeju case 538. From the 6th to the 8th, they traveled on a 45-seat charter bus as part of a package tour, but after one member of the group tested positive, they were classified as contacts and quarantined at a facility in the province.

While in quarantine, case 551 developed symptoms of loss of taste and nasal congestion, underwent diagnostic testing at the Jeju Health Center screening clinic at 10 AM the previous day, and was confirmed positive around 7:50 PM the same day.

Following Jeju case 538, cases 542 and 551 were also confirmed positive, resulting in three out of four travelers on the Jeju trip testing positive for COVID-19. The remaining one is currently staying at a quarantine facility in the province.

Jeju cases 552 and 553 are also travelers who arrived from the Seoul metropolitan area on the 15th and were confirmed to be family members of a confirmed case in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. After arrival, they were notified as contacts of the Gwanak-gu confirmed case on the morning of the previous day and visited the Seogwipo Health Center screening clinic that afternoon for specimen collection, resulting in final confirmation of infection.

As of 11 AM on the day, there are 19 confirmed cases in quarantine in Jeju (including one case from Jungnang-gu and one from Yongsan-gu), one transferred to Daegu, and 535 cases have been released from quarantine (including one death and one transfer).

Jeong In-bo, head of the provincial quarantine division, said at the joint briefing, “Nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations will begin on the 26th of this month, and preparations are underway at the vaccination center in Halla Gymnasium in Jeju.” He added, “We will inform residents of the specific vaccination schedule as soon as the vaccines arrive.”

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