Yoo Eun-hye "66 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Among CSAT Examinees, 383 Hospital Beds Secured"

66 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Among Examinees as of the 9th, 12 in Quarantine
383 Beds Secured for Confirmed Patients, 620 Separate Exam Rooms Prepared
"Full Preparations Needed to Secure Additional Exam Sites in Response to Surge in Cases"
Pediatric and Adolescent Vaccination Rate at 24.7%
"Active Consideration of Measures to Encourage Vaccination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] With the 2022 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) just 8 days away, it has been reported that 66 test-takers have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. The Ministry of Education has secured a total of 383 hospital beds.

On the 10th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye held an online meeting on COVID-19 prevention measures in the education sector at the Government Seoul Office Building. Attendees included metropolitan area superintendents of education, deputy heads of local governments, the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, and the Deputy Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Yoo stated, "As of the 9th, there are 66 confirmed positive test-takers who require hospital bed allocation, and 12 test-takers who will remain in self-quarantine after the exam day and are scheduled to be assigned to separate test sites. The Ministry of Education is monitoring the situation daily in cooperation with the Disease Control Agency and education offices."

She added, "We have secured 383 beds nationwide in 31 hospitals and residential treatment centers for confirmed positive test-takers, including 219 beds specifically in the metropolitan area. For self-quarantined test-takers, we have secured 620 separate test rooms across 112 locations nationwide, accommodating a total of 3,099 examinees."

General test-takers will take the exam in regular test rooms, symptomatic individuals in separate rooms within regular test sites, self-quarantined individuals in separate test sites, and confirmed positive individuals will take the exam in hospitals or residential treatment centers.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo emphasized the need to maintain strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures until the end of the second semester to ensure the CSAT and full in-person schooling proceed smoothly, and she requested cooperation in managing prevention measures around university areas.

She requested, "Please ensure the smooth operation of the management system for confirmed and quarantined test-takers by identifying positive cases among examinees and assigning them to designated hospitals. Also, be fully prepared to secure additional hospital and residential treatment center test sites in case of a sudden surge in confirmed cases."

She continued, "Through CSAT prevention inspections, the burden of preparing for full in-person schooling in the metropolitan area will be alleviated. Preemptive PCR testing in the metropolitan area has been expanded, and the formation of school life prevention inspection teams is underway. I urge thorough cooperation among local governments to ensure no setbacks."

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo stressed the importance of providing sufficient information to students and parents, despite the low vaccination rate of 24.7% among children and adolescents.

She said, "The infection rate among fully vaccinated high school seniors has sharply declined, objectively demonstrating the effectiveness of vaccination. The Ministry of Education will actively consider measures to encourage student vaccination."

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Yoo and meeting participants reviewed the COVID-19 response status ahead of the CSAT, confirmed plans for operating metropolitan area education support office prevention inspection teams, and checked prevention preparations inside and outside metropolitan elementary and secondary schools where full in-person schooling will be implemented after the CSAT.

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