One Confirmed COVID-19 Case with Unknown Infection Route in Gwangju... Total 2,059 Cases

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] On the 26th, when the current non-capital area social distancing level 1.5 was extended for two weeks until the 14th of next month, one new COVID-19 case was confirmed in Gwangju Metropolitan City.

According to Gwangju City, as of 2 p.m. that day, one person was confirmed positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the region to 2,059.

The newly added case was classified as Gwangju case number 2059, and the infection route is still unknown.

In Gwangju, the average daily number of confirmed cases has been increasing recently after the Lunar New Year holiday period ended.

The number of confirmed cases over the past week (19th to 25th) averaged 11 per day, an increase of 7.2 compared to the previous week (12th to 18th), which averaged 3.8 cases.

Health authorities attribute this to the cluster infection at the LINA Life Insurance call center and family transmission during the Lunar New Year holiday.

In particular, the cumulative confirmed cases related to the LINA Life Insurance call center were 1 on the 22nd, 24 on the 23rd, 11 on the 24th, and 7 on the 25th, totaling 43 cases, showing a rapid increase in confirmed cases within five days.

Moreover, since the full testing of 1,549 people, including occupants of the Bitgoeul Customer Center building where the LINA Life Insurance call center is located, is still ongoing, there is a high possibility of additional related confirmed cases.

So far, the results of the completed full testing are 43 positive, 1,359 negative, and 147 pending.

Meanwhile, starting from this day, Gwangju’s social distancing level 1.5 has been extended for two weeks, maintaining existing quarantine measures such as banning private gatherings of five or more people and restricting operation of entertainment facilities after 10 p.m.

Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju, stated, “We will apply a zero-tolerance policy if violations of quarantine rules are detected,” adding, “In particular, we are considering issuing a two-week closure order for businesses violating core quarantine rules, and excluding business owners and individuals who violate quarantine rules from receiving disaster relief funds, living support funds, and compensation for losses.”

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