Will mass coronavirus infections hit Korea after Chuseok holiday?

Visitors pack Seoul Forest Park, Sunday, despite government advice to stay home during the Chuseok holiday to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

With new daily COVID-19 cases mostly remaining below 100 during the Chuseok holiday, some people have begun to feel optimistic that the coronavirus pandemic may finally be under control here and another mass outbreak is less likely to occur.

However, medical experts and quarantine officials say it's too early to become complacent.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 113 new COVID-19 infections, Sept. 30, the first day of the holiday, followed by 77 on Oct. 1, 63 on Oct. 2, 75 on Oct. 3 and 64 on Oct. 4.

"We are genuinely concerned that the number of COVID-19 cases will grow exponentially after the holiday," Kwon Joon-wook, a senior official responsible for the government's response to the pandemic, said Saturday. "The movement of people and how individuals respected social distancing rules during the holiday will determine how COVID-19 will play out in the future for Korea and we will adopt measures accordingly."

As for the lower number of new cases, the KDCA explained this could be attributed to a decreased number of people being tested for the virus during the holiday. According to the agency, the average number of COVID-19 tests conducted during the holiday was between 5,000 and 6,000 per day, almost half the usual number.

It said it was looking closely at two people who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 after visiting Busan during Chuseok. One is from Seoul and the other from Ulsan, according to the KDCA which is currently conducting an epidemiological investigation of the two.

The nation's highways, trains and buses were less crowded than usual during the five-day long weekend. Rest areas on highways and at bus and train stations where many people commonly gather were less crowded and travelers were mostly respecting personal hygiene rules to protect themselves.

In Seoul, police managed to thwart a scheduled anti-government protest in Gwanghwamun, Saturday, which could have led to another mass outbreak. The National Police Agency mobilized almost 10,000 officers and 300 police buses to block people from accessing the planned protest site.

Police also set up almost 90 check points within Seoul to randomly inspect vehicles, while subway trains did not stop at stations near the site to discourage protesters using public transport. A small number of protesters did make it through, either alone or in cars.

Some conservative groups said they will stage a protest on Hangeul Day, which falls Oct. 9, although the government again vowed to prevent this.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday: "To those who want to protest again, I would like to ask you to stop the illegal gatherings for the safety of your community. The government cannot allow the gathering because of the risk to the health of its residents."

Chung also thanked law enforcement and local officials for their efforts to stop the protest Saturday. "The protest was prevented thanks to the help of police officers and local government officials."
However, the nation's tourist destinations, parks and shopping centers were packed with people, raising public health concerns.

Jeju Island, Korea's top domestic tourist destination, was inundated with visitors ― an estimated 300,000 traveled to the island to spend Chuseok there.

Everland and Seoul Grand Park were packed with families who chose to visit them instead of traveling to visit family for the holiday.

Among the 64 confirmed COVID-19 infections, Saturday, six were at a rehabilitation facility in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Eleven cases have been confirmed so far at the facility, since the first was reported Sept. 23.

On Sunday, the KDCA proposed a new rule that would give the health minister, KDCA directors, governors, city mayors, and district and county heads the authority to issue administrative orders to wear masks in designated areas in their jurisdictions, with violators facing fines of up to 100,000 won. The rule will go into effect Nov. 13 and will be applicable to all people aged 14 years old and over.

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