Updates on COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

20 May, 2020

○ As of 0:00, 20 May 2020, a total of 11,110 cases (including 1,189 imported cases) have been confirmed, of which 10,066 cases (90.6%) have been discharged from isolation. Newly confirmed cases are 32 in total.

[Table 1. Total confirmed and suspected cases]

[Table 2. Imported cases in Korea (as of 0:00, 20 May 2020)]

* Figures may change based on findings from ongoing local epidemiological investigation efforts.

○ Of the 32 new cases, 8 were imported cases and 24 were locally transmitted cases.

○ Emergency infectious disease control measures have taken place in Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where 4 surgical nurses have been confirmed with COVID-19. The 3rd floor surgical area (25 operation rooms, lounge, changing areas, etc) have been closed down. For contacts and persons subject to active monitoring found by epidemiological investigation, all have been tested*. The 124 contacts have been placed under self-quarantine or single-room quarantine.

* Of the 1,207 total persons subject to testing, 1,199 (not including 8 discharged patients) have been tested. 3 have tested positive (the scrub nurses); 641 have tested negative; 555 are awaiting test results.

- Periodic testing and monitoring will take place for all persons who are contacts or subject to active monitoring. The discharged patients will also be guided to receive testing at a screening clinic.

○ As of 12:00 today, there are 196 confirmed cases in total related to the nightclub cluster.

   - By region: Seoul City=100, Gyeonggi Province=41, Incheon City=35, Chungbuk Province=9, Busan City=4, Jeonbuk Province=2, Daejeon City=1, Chungnam Province=1, Gyeongnam Province=1, Gangwon Province=1, Jeju Province=1

- By chain of transmission: Club visitors=95; Contacts (family/acquaintance/coworkers/etc)=101

- By age group: [0-18]=23; [19-29]=116; [30-39]=28; [40-49]=13; [50-59]=7; [60+]=9

- Male=159; Female=37

○ Local transmission in Incheon City is increasing via coin karaoke rooms, PC cafes, taxi riders, and others. The Incheon city government and the office of education have requested studetnts, teachers, and school staff to visit a nearby screening clinic and get tested if they have visited the Vision Plaza building in Michuol-gu, Seoul Fitness Gym Incheon Branch (Floor 2 of shopping complex next to Segyeong Apartments) in Yeonsu-gu, or Seum Academy (Floor 3 of Geumgang Building) in Michuhol-gu from 6 May to 19 May.

○ KCDC is tracing persons who visited the venues visited by confirmed cases related to nightclubs in Gyeonggi Province. All persons who visited the following venues on the dates listed are requested to get tested at a nearby screening clinic.

○ KCDC is requesting anyone who visited any of the nightlife entertainment venues in Itaewon area including any clubs or bars from 24 April to 6 May to stay home and refrain from going to other places, contact a local public health center or dial 1339 (KCDC call center), and visit a screening clinic and get tested, regardless of symptoms.

○ KCDC also emphasized that persons who work in education, places of worship, indoor sports/gym facilities, or other places that are used by many people should get tested since their work environment creates a high risk of transmission.

   - Even if test result is negative, it is still possible for the person to have been infected but in the 14-day incubation period before the virus activates. Therefore, those who have been instructed to self-quarantine should strictly follow the self-quarantine protocol. Persons who are not subject to self-quarantine should still minimize contact with other people. They should carefully practice personal hygiene measures including mask wearing and hand washing, and get retested immediately if symptoms appear later.

○ KCDC provided the following additional guidance for COVID-19 prevention and timely response in schools.

- Students, teachers, and staff should check their symptoms in the morning and stay home if they have fever or respiratory symptoms. They should keep facemasks on at all time while in school and strictly follow personal hygiene measures such as hand washing and cough etiquette.

 - Students, teachers, and staff are urged to avoid karaoke rooms, PC cafes, nightclubs, and bars.

- Schools should ensure that every student’s body temperature is checked before the student enters classroom. If a student has temperature of 37.5 degrees or above or have other suspected symptoms, the school should have the student put on an MFDS-approved facemask (i.e. KF80, KF94, or KF99) and wait in a separate location while the school contacts the student’s parent or guardian.

- If a confirmed case is found in a school, all students, teachers, and staff of the school will be instructed to put on an MFDS-approved facemask and return home. Local municipal government will conduct epidemiological investigation, disinfection, restriction of use of the affected facility, and other necessary infection control measures.

○ In light of the recent rise in local transmissions related to clubs, bars, karaoke rooms, and after-school

private academies, KCDC urged people to refrain from social gathering or visiting any enclosed/confined/crowded spaces that are frequented by many people.

- People who cannot avoid visiting an enclosed/crowded space for an essential reason should carefully follow personal hygiene measures including keeping 2 meters of distance from other people, wearing a facemask, avoiding handshakes, washing hands, and not touching eyes, nose, or mouth with their hands.

- Persons belonging to high-risk groups (including elderly, pregnant women, persons with chronic illness) should especially avoid any poorly ventilated enclosed space frequented by many people. If such a situation cannot be avoided for an essential reason, it is highly important to wear a facemask.

○ Anyone who has come in close contact with a large number of unspecified persons in an enclosed/confined space such as clubs or bars need to be tested at a screening clinic through public health center or 1339 call center.

- KCDC urged people to visit a screening clinic and get tested especially if two or more persons within a household or social group develop COVID-19 suspected symptoms.

[Table 3: Regional distribution and epidemiological links of the confirmed cases]

[Figure 1: Daily new confirmed cases by chain of transmission]

        TOTAL

        Seoul City

        Gyeonggi Province

        Daegu City

        Gyeongbuk Province

[Figure 2: New cases (for last 2 weeks) by chain of transmission]