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Saturday, May 09, 2020

South Korea, Hailed for Pandemic Response, Backtracks on Re-Opening After COVID-19 Cases Jump


Despite recently reopening businesses amid an impressive decline in new coronavirus case, the South Korean government has issued a nationwide health advisory for bars and nightclubs to close down for 30 more days after health officials tracked 13 new cases to a single person who attended five nightclubs and bars in the country's capital city of Seoul.

"We believe we will have another community infection," said Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip at a Friday press briefing. "The spread took place in enclosed and crowded spaces. Transmission with no known source of infection can lead to a widespread cluster infection and that is why the government is not letting its guard down."

The man in question had no symptoms when he visited the nightspots. He eventually tested positive on Wednesday and gained admittance to a hospital in Suwon, a city south of Seoul, according to the UPI wire service.

Officials think he may have come in contact with over 1,500 people during his night out. City officials are now using CCTV and credit card records to help identify visitors and are encouraging them to self-isolate and immediately report any coronavirus symptoms to local hospitals.Read More
I am posting a link to this article because what has happened in South Korea is even more likely to happen in the United States as states roll back the public health measures that have kept COVID-19 at bay. The United States, unlike South Korea, has taken a piecemeal approach to mitigating the pandemic. States that have not seen significant decreases in COVID-19 cases due to erratic compliance with these measures are rolling back the measures.

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