Seoul (dpa)
After an increase in corona infections among clubgoers in Seoul, South Korean health officials see the fight against a new wave of infection at a critical point.
Officials again warned on Thursday of the risk that the situation could get out of control and lead to a similar jump in the number of cases as in February. “It’s a very critical moment for us now,” said Kwon Joon Wook of the Disaster Management Center.
The number of cases of infection associated with visitors to night clubs and bars in the popular Seoul entertainment district of Itaewon rose to 136, according to the information. A total of 29 new infections were recorded across the country on Wednesday. 20 of them are related to the nightlife in Itaewon. They are club guests and contact persons. In the metropolis, several infections were initially attributed to an infected man who had visited five clubs in Itaewon on the night of May 2nd.
The authorities fear that the virus could spread quickly across the country at community level because club guests were not just from Seoul. In order to break the chains of infection, they rely on intensive testing. So far, around 35,000 people have been tested on Sars-Cov-2 in connection with the Itaewon outbreak. All people who were in the area around the clubs between April 24th and May 6th were urged to get tested.
After the peak of the outbreak at the end of February with over 900 cases within a day, South Korea had largely got the situation under control. Since mid-April, fewer than 15 new infections have been reported daily. So far, the total number is just under 11,000. 260 deaths have been linked to the virus.
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