S. Korea grapples with COVID-19 outbreaks in Greater Seoul

A health worker administers a swab at a temporary COVID-19 novel coronavirus testing centre in Bucheon, south of Seoul, on May 27, 2020. AFP FILE PHOTO

SEOUL — South Korea reported 57 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, amid rising fears over clusters of infections in the densely populated Greater Seoul area, as 1.35 million more students were set to return to school Monday.

Of the new cases, 53 were domestic cases, 52 of which were registered in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province — home to nearly half of the country’s population. The other four cases were imported from overseas, two of them being detected at the airport, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It was the second consecutive day that Korea saw more than 50 cases — the threshold set by the government for eased social distancing practices and reopening. Some 51 new cases were reported a day earlier.

With 57 new cases, the country’s total caseload rose to 11,776. The death toll remained flat at 273. Some 10,552 patients have so far been released from quarantine upon full recoveries, putting the number of patients recovered at 89.6 percent of all confirmed cases, according to the KCDC.

About one month into Korea’s loosening of social distancing rules, a flurry of infection clusters emerged: nightclubs and bars in Seoul nightlife district Itaewon, a logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, small group gatherings of church pastors and most recently, table tennis clubs and networking marketing firm in Seoul.

So far, 133 cases have been traced to the logistics center and 82 linked to the church gatherings.

Korea shifted its quarantine regime to “routine distancing” on May 6 on the back of a slowing infection rate, allowing people to resume daily activities.

After mass infections at the logistics center in Bucheon drove up the number of infections to 79 on May 28, the daily infection rate has been slowing from 58 on May 29 to 27 on May 31. New infections rose to hover around 40 in the first five days of June, with most cases tied to the church gatherings.

Authorities’ latest concern relates to cases traceable to Seoul-based health product retailer Richway, which organizes promotional events involving meals and recreational activities for the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus than those younger.

“Regarding the promotional event, many visitors gathered closely singing and having food in enclosed environment with poor ventilation,” KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said at a briefing Saturday, calling on residents in Greater Seoul to stick to social distancing.

As of Sunday, 45 patients have been identified as linked to the firm, according to the KCDC.

The country’s overall mortality rate for COVID-19 patients is 2.32 percent, but it is much higher among those aged 80 or older at 26.13 percent, and those in their 70s at 10.56 percent.

Korea has so far run 1,012,769 tests for the novel coronavirus, with 26,481 people still awaiting results.

The spike in new infections comes ahead of the resumption of in-person classes for the last group of students, scheduled for Monday. Some 1.35 million students — first-year middle school students and fifth- and sixth-year elementary school students — were to return to classrooms in the final phase of school reopenings.

New clusters of infections shut down some 514 schools, mostly in Greater Seoul, and they returned to remote learning.

The Ministry of Education postponed reopening schools on four occasions amid fears over continued spread of the coronavirus. Students in the meantime attended classes online starting on April 9.