Seoul Garak Market COVID-19 Cluster Infection Spreads... Total 71 Cases

Nongsusanmul Wholesale Market, Garak-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

The scale of the COVID-19 cluster infection is increasing at Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market (Garak Market) in Songpa-gu, Seoul, the largest agricultural and marine products wholesale market in Korea.

According to Seoul City on the 29th, a total of 71 confirmed cases have been identified from the Garak Market cluster infection that occurred in mid-month.

Among the 71 cumulative confirmed cases, 16 were confirmed positive after being tested outside Seoul, while the remaining 55 are classified and managed as Seoul confirmed cases. Four new confirmed cases were reported on the 28th, all of whom are Seoul cases.

The first confirmed case in this cluster was a resident from another city or province outside Seoul, detected on the 18th. Subsequently, fellow merchants in the market, their families, and acquaintances were confirmed positive one after another.

After the first confirmed case was identified, health authorities tested 5,249 people, of whom 70 tested positive (excluding the first confirmed case) and 5,179 tested negative.

Seoul City temporarily closed the stores and facilities where confirmed cases occurred and operated a temporary screening clinic at Garak Market from the 21st to the 26th. An in-depth epidemiological investigation is underway to identify the infection routes.

Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 29th that 194 confirmed cases were reported in Seoul on the 28th.

This is 20 fewer than the 214 cases on the previous day (27th) and 14 fewer than the 208 cases on the same day last week (21st).

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