Incheon Inju Elementary School COVID-19 Cases Rise to 48... Fear of 'Delta Variant?' Looms

Parents Anxious Over School and Academy Cluster Infections
Working Couples Worry About Isolation Treatment for Young Children
Calls to Reconsider Full Return to School in Second Semester

Amid a surge of COVID-19 cases at Inju Elementary School in Incheon, local residents are getting tested at a temporary screening clinic set up within the school. 2021.7.6
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As a large number of COVID-19 cases have erupted at Inju Elementary School in Incheon, fear of infection by the highly transmissible Delta variant virus is sweeping through the local community. In particular, parents are raising their voices that the full return to in-person classes in the second semester should be reconsidered, along with concerns about isolation treatment if their young children test positive.

According to Incheon City on the 8th, as of 10 a.m. that day, the total number of confirmed cases related to Inju Elementary School reached 48 (including 5 from other regions). Among them, 37 are students, 6 are their family members, 1 is a staff member, 2 are external instructors, and 2 are their family members.

Earlier, after two 6th-grade students were first confirmed positive on the 5th, a total of 3,765 people including students, staff, family members, residents, and academy personnel underwent COVID-19 testing. The exact infection route of the initially confirmed two students has not been precisely identified, but it was confirmed that they had attended Taekwondo, English academies, and study rooms on the 1st and 2nd of the month.

It is a rare case nationwide for more than 40 confirmed cases to occur in a single school. Because of this, health authorities are on high alert for the possibility of infection by the Delta variant virus, known to be the most transmissible among COVID-19 variants.

An official from Incheon City stated, "On the 6th alone, 59 students from three 6th-grade classes were tested, and 26 of them were confirmed positive, so we suspect the possibility of the highly infectious Delta variant virus," adding, "We have requested virus testing from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, so it will take a few days to get the results."

The Delta variant, originating from India, is known to infect even those vaccinated with AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines, and reinfection cases are increasing worldwide.

In South Korea, the number of Delta variant infections has surged from 30 two weeks ago to about 150 currently. It is also analyzed that the Delta variant virus is influencing the spread of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area, as it was identified in a cluster infection at an English academy related to a native speaker instructor gathering.

As cluster infections spread in schools and academies, parents with elementary school children are particularly worried. In the case of Inju Elementary School, there are 33 infected students who must immediately undergo isolation treatment at hospitals or residential treatment centers. Incheon’s residential treatment centers are divided between Cheongna in Seo-gu and Muui-do, an island area in Jung-gu.

An official from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education said, "Students who are anxious about being isolated away from their parents can enter the residential treatment center together with their parents, and home self-treatment is also possible."

However, for dual-income families, it is not easy for parents to stay with their children in isolation facilities for about two weeks, and home self-treatment is also impossible without parental care, making the situation difficult in various ways.

Kang Mo (45, female, Michuhol-gu), whose family of three underwent COVID-19 testing after close contact with an Inju Elementary School student, said, "As a dual-income couple, I was most worried about having to send my child to an isolation facility if they tested positive, but fortunately, all family members tested negative," adding, "However, in the case of an acquaintance, a 6th-grade child tested positive, and the mother took leave from work to enter the facility with the child, so it doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem."

There are also calls to reconsider the full return to in-person classes in the second semester. A resident A, who posted on an internet community in Incheon, expressed dissatisfaction with the education authorities, saying, "Just looking at Inju Elementary School, there are many confirmed students and thousands are being tested, so how can full in-person classes make sense when the virus is spreading so strongly in schools?"

Another resident said, "Since it’s summer, air conditioners are on, so classroom ventilation is poor, and face-to-face classes are being held while moving between classes, which makes it even more worrisome," adding, "At a time when the Delta variant virus is causing a major outbreak, in-person classes should be suspended."

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