Busan with 'Brake' Released Breaks Record for Most Confirmed Cases for 3 Consecutive Days

20th: 97 people → 21st: 107 people → 22nd: 116 people

Busan Police Chief Lee Gyumun (center front row) is inspecting COVID-19 quarantine measures in the densely populated entertainment district of Seomyeon, Busan, on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The number of new COVID-19 cases in Busan broke the record again in just one day. It is a frightening spread that has set new records for three consecutive days.

As secondary infections occurred at multi-use facilities such as indoor sports facilities in Suyeong-gu and bathhouses in Dongnae-gu, the number of confirmed cases followed the feared upward curve.

Busan City announced that as of the afternoon of the 22nd, 116 new confirmed cases were reported. Following 97 cases on the 20th and 107 cases on the 21st, the highest number of confirmed cases has been recorded for three consecutive days.

Among the confirmed cases on this day, 19 came from the indoor sports facility in Suyeong-gu. Ten users and nine related contacts were additionally confirmed positive. The cumulative number of confirmed cases has increased to 30 (19 users, 2 staff members, and 9 related contacts).

A Busan City quarantine official said, “The infection rate appears to have increased because intense exercise was performed in a poorly ventilated enclosed space, with the air conditioner on, and people stayed for a long time.”

At the bathhouse in Dongnae-gu, 11 additional confirmed cases were reported, raising the cumulative total to 17.

At a high school in Saha-gu, one student and six contacts were added. In entertainment facilities, two workers and one user were confirmed positive, and in karaoke rooms, two related contacts were infected.

There are 22 confirmed cases with unknown infection routes.

Currently, Busan City is applying social distancing level 3. According to government regulations, if more than 137 confirmed cases occur for three or more consecutive days in Busan, an upgrade of social distancing measures is expected to be considered.

A quarantine official said, “The upgrade of social distancing is not mechanically changed when the number of confirmed cases reaches a certain level, but is comprehensively judged by observing the infection trend,” adding, “We are deeply discussing this not only within the city but also with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.”

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