"Because I Thought Bathing Would Help"... A Look Inside Jinju City's 'Super Jinwonji' Bathhouse

On the 9th, a symptomatic woman visited 'Dal Mokyok' repeatedly for days
186 confirmed cases from Jinju bathhouse... Gyeongnam Province imposes ban on 'Dal Mokyok'

A bathhouse in Geoje, Gyeongnam, where cluster infections are rapidly occurring, was firmly closed on the 15th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] As cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surge rapidly in the Gyeongnam region, concerns are growing over the lax quarantine rules at multi-use facilities.

In particular, in Jinju, a chain infection originating from bathhouses has continued for nine consecutive days, creating an atmosphere of fear. Nearby local governments are intensively promoting the avoidance of traveling to other regions for bathhouse visits, while Gyeongnam Province has taken the extreme measure of completely abolishing the 'Dal Bath' system.

As of the 17th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Jinju stands at 630. Among them, the number of confirmed cases related to Jinju bathhouses has increased to 186. This is the largest cluster infection recorded so far in Gyeongnam Province.

The first confirmed case in the Jinju bathhouse cluster was a woman in her 50s who, despite showing suspected COVID-19 symptoms on the 9th, visited the bathhouse several times. She mistook her symptoms for a common cold and told health authorities that she visited the bathhouse for a 'Dal Bath' to relax her body. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Jinju snowballed.

The 'Dal Bath,' which became a super-spreader, is a system where users pay the bathhouse fee for a set period all at once and can use the facility unlimited times during that period. Most 'Dal Bath' users are neighbors who know each other well, and the bathhouse culture of chatting inside and outside the baths increases the risk of COVID-19 infection significantly.

A sauna health club in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam /sy77@

Actually, when the reporter visited five bathhouses in the Changwon area during the day last weekend, the average number of users was around 15. The average number of 'Dal Bath' members at these bathhouses was about 120.

Among the five bathhouses, two had handwritten entry logs, but there were no fever checks or QR code systems in place. A bathhouse official said, "Fever checks and QR code systems are not mandatory, so we did not install them."

Regarding the five bathhouses, about half of the users in the changing rooms wore masks, but no one wore masks inside the baths. A bathhouse official explained, "It is naturally difficult to wear masks while bathing. If you feel uneasy, you can wear a mask while using the facility."

Such cluster infections in bathhouses are partly due to superficial quarantine inspections by public officials.

According to a bathhouse owner, "Most public officials do not inspect inside but just listen to the owner at the counter and leave," criticizing the formalistic approach to quarantine rules.

Meanwhile, Jinju City has implemented a two-week ban on gatherings at 98 bathhouse establishments within the city starting from the 12th, and currently, all bathhouses are closed.

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