Updates on COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

28 March 2020

○ As of 0:00, 28 March 2020, the total number of confirmed cases is 9,478 (including 363 imported cases), of which 4,811 cases have been discharged from isolation. Newly confirmed cases are 146 in total.

[Table 1. Total confirmed and suspected cases]

○ Epidemiological links have been found for 81.6% of the total cases; 14.6% are either under investigation or sporadic cases. More details on the epidemiological links within each province or city are shown in Table 2.

  - From Manmin Central Church in Guro-gu, Seoul, 7 cases (members = 4; contacts = 3) have been confirmed since 25 March and contacts are under investigation. From Hyosarang Nursing Home in Gyeonggi province, 3 additional cases (resident at the facilities= 2; Staff= 1) from cohort quarantine were confirmed. The current total is 20 confirmed cases (Residents= 15; staff= 5) since 19 March. From Second Mi-Ju hospital in Daegu, 13 additional cases were confirmed. In total 75 cases (inpatient = 74, staff =1) have been confirmed as of 28th March.

○ The KCDC urged all inbound travelers to follow the precautionary measures with emphasizing on continuous cases of inflows from Europe and others. There were 41 imported cases(from Europe= 25, from America = 11, from Asia =4) which are 28.1% out of 146 newly confirmed cases yesterday. 168 cases were confirmed in the airport screening within the last 2 week out of 363 imported cases in total.

  - Persons entering from Europe or the US should return home straight after arriving at the airport, refrain from using public transportation, travel in their own vehicle, and wear a face-mask during movement. Beginning 28 March, airport limousine bus or KTX train will be provided for inbound travelers who cannot access to their own vehicle.

  - During the self-quarantine period, the person under self-quarantine should not share their utensils, towels and other personal belongings with their family, refrain from coming in contact with family members, roommates, or cohabitants. (Self-quarantine guidelines are provided to those subject to self-quarantine.)

  - If they notice symptoms develop (fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, shortness of breath, etc.), they should contact the designated public official or use the self-quarantine app to notify their symptoms and go to a screening center to be tested.

  - Failure to comply with self-quarantine guidelines is punishable by imprisonment up to 1 year or a fine up to 10 million won.

○ Persons entering from places other than Europe or US are also advised to stay at home for 14 days and minimize contact with other people.

  - Any person who suspect onset of COVID-19 symptoms are advised to call the KCDC call center (1339) or local call centers (area code + 120), ask a local public health center, or visit a screening facility, before visiting a regular healthcare provider directly. All persons who visit a screening center should arrive wearing a mask and in their own car if possible, and disclose their international travel history to the healthcare professionals.

  - The KCDC also advised employers to ensure that employees returning from international business trips will not return to their office for the first 2 weeks upon their return. In particular, employers should especially ensure that employees working at publicly used venues who have international travel history are required to work from home or take a short leave.

○ The Korean government is promoting the Enhanced Social Distancing campaign from 22 March to 5 April. The KCDC thanked Korean people for their active participation and support for the campaign which has allowed the authorities to continue their disease control efforts without a surge in local transmission.

  - It also urged people to refrain from religious gathering, going to indoor fitness or sports facilities, or other activities that make it easy to come in close contact with other people in an enclosed space during the weekend.

[Figure 1. Trend of confirmed cases in Korea]

[Figure 2. Case distribution and incidence rate by region]

* Refer to attachment

[Figure 3. Case distribution by region]

[Table 4. Case distribution by gender and age group]

[Figure 4. Case distribution by age and sex]