9 Busan High School Seniors in Same Class Test Positive in Bulk... 48 Cases of Sequential Cluster Infection in One Day

Busan Superintendent of Education Kim Seok-jun (right) and Seo Eun-sook, head of Busanjin District Office, are giving wristbands as gifts to high school seniors who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination at the Busanjin District COVID-19 Vaccination Center in Busan on the morning of the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] In Busan, 48 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in one day, including 9 high school seniors from the same class.

Busan City announced that from the afternoon of the previous day until the morning of the 19th, 48 people tested positive for COVID-19. Among the new confirmed cases, 10 were students from a high school in Saha-gu.

After one third-year student was confirmed positive the day before, about 160 contacts including students from the same grade were investigated, resulting in 10 additional infections on this day. Notably, 9 out of the total 11 confirmed students were from the same class.

Health authorities are conducting diagnostic tests for all students and staff at this school.

At a language institute in Dongnae-gu, where a cluster infection recently occurred, one student and two contacts were additionally infected, bringing the total confirmed cases related to this cluster to 9.

One contact related to the Busan Municipal Arts Group, which had 3 members and 8 contacts confirmed positive, was also infected.

Chain cluster infections related to entertainment bars also continued to emerge.

Four related contacts tested positive on this day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases related to entertainment bars since the 29th of last month to 189.

At a beauty salon in Nam-gu, two additional contacts were infected through secondary transmission, increasing the related confirmed cases to 16.

As cluster infections continued throughout the community centered around entertainment bars this month, Busan City strengthened the private gathering limit from 8 to 4 people starting this day and completely suspended operations of five types of entertainment facilities and singing practice rooms.

A Busan health official said, “Recently, confirmed cases have surged mainly among young people, and cluster infections and secondary transmissions are occurring throughout daily life. We ask that private gatherings be avoided as much as possible and that users of multi-use facilities get tested even if they have no symptoms.”

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