The Updates of COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

29 March, 2020

○ As of 0:00, 29 March 2020, a total of 9,583 cases (including 412 imported cases) have been confirmed, of which 5,033 cases have been discharged from isolation. Newly confirmed cases are 105 in total.

[Table 1. Total confirmed and suspected cases]

○ Epidemiological links have been found for 81.1% 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.

○ In Seoul, 6 additional cases were confirmed from Manmin Central Church located in Guro-gu, bringing the current total of confirmed cases since 25 March to 13. Since 70 people from the church, including three confirmed cases, have attended the 20th anniversary event held in Muan Manmin Central Church, The investigation on the epidemiological link with two confirmed cases* reported from Jeon-nam Province and the chain of transmission are underway. KCDC urged once again to refrain from having religious gatherings.

* Both cases are the members of the Muan Manmin Central Church.

○ In light of the continuous increase of imported cases, KCDC emphasized that international travelers should be extra cautious as follows. Incoming passengers from Europe and the US should immediately go home from the airport and use a personal vehicle, airport limousine or KTX reserved exclusively for them. It is also required for them to sanitize their hands and wear a facemask while moving.

- While in self-isolation, they should restrain from coming in contact with family or cohabitant and strictly follow the self-isolation guideline to prevent further transmission. When the symptoms(fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, or difficulties in breathing) occur, they should contact the public health officer in charge or use self-quarantine app instead of visiting a healthcare facility.

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

○ Incoming travelers from other countries than Europe and the US should not go to work or have outdoor activities for 14 days. They should stay home, minimize the contact with others, and maintain good personal hygiene. Any person who suspect onset of COVID-19 symptoms are advised to consult with KCDC call center (1339), local call centers (area code + 120), or a local public health center first and visit a screening facility. All persons who visit a screening center should wear a mask, use their own car, and disclose their travel history to the healthcare professionals.

- KCDC also advised that any employees returning from international business trips should not come 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.

○ KCDC expressed gratitude for healthcare workers engaged with COVID-19 response. Since the cases without any epidemiological link to the existing clusters are reported, diagnostic testing could be conducted based on physician’s opinion.

○ 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 closed space during the weekend.

○ In the meantime, KCDC cooperates with relevant organizations to deal with digital divide that people with special needs might experience in regard to COVID-19 information. For people with impaired vision, a voice code is used in COVID-19 promotional materials, which converts the written information into vocal format when a hearing aid or smartphone is touched. Furthermore, sign language is provided during KCDC daily briefing so that people with impaired hearing could have an access to COVID-19 information. KCDC also distributed COVID-19 prevention guidelines in 14 languages and the website is availabe in English and Chinese.

- KCDC stated that it would provide the information through customized platform for the information have-nots, so no one would be deprived of any necessary information due to disabilities or language barriers.

[Table 2. Regional distribution and epidemiological links of the confirmed cases]