Government to test all workers at nursing homes, mental hospitals in Greater Seoul

The government plans to carry out diagnostic tests for COVID-19 on some 130,000 workers at mental hospitals and nursing homes in the greater Seoul area after a major cluster was discovered in Busan. Another 30,000 senior citizens who attend day care facilities will be tested too.

“Patients pose relatively lower risks (of virus transmission) as they are tested before they are admitted, but there’s a possibility that the medical staff and other workers could bring about COVID-19 infections and mass infections as they continue to commute,” Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official said.

Health authorities expect that the testing will start in mid-October and take about a week to complete.

Whether the scheme should be applied to other areas beyond Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon or be conducted on a regular basis will be considered after reviewing the results.

Nearly 120 cases have been confirmed at each a psychiatric hospital that mainly treats alcohol addiction in Seoul’s Dobong District and a rehabilitation hospital in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.

On Wednesday, more than 50 employees and patients at a nursing home in Busan were found to have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the largest number traced to a single cluster in the city, according to the city government. One of the infected patients died.

A total of 53 people tested positive at the nursing home, Haeddeurak in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu -- 42 patients and 11 staff members.

The hospital was immediately put under cohort isolation after the infections were confirmed Wednesday morning following coronavirus tests on 264 patients and staff, prompted by the diagnosis a day earlier of a nursing assistant in her 50s.

Health authorities are in the process of tracing the nursing assistant’s contacts.

The Busan City government has been on alert after 23 cases have been traced to a public bathhouse and a restaurant in Mandeok-dong since Sept. 1.

With the detection of the new cluster, it extended its no-assembly orders for restaurants in Mandeok-dong, which was set to expire Thursday, for another two weeks.

The possibility of a link between cases in the three neighborhood facilities is under investigation.

Meanwhile, the country reported 84 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours ending Tuesday at midnight, including 53 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. These numbers do not include the 53 cases in Busan, which will be added to tomorrow’s tally.

The daily number of new cases fell back to a double-digit figure after 102 cases were reported Tuesday.

Although the country has seen a downward trend in its daily case count, the health authorities remain vigilant over sporadic group infections across the nation. South Korea eased its social distancing guidelines from Level 2 to Level 1 in a three-tier system starting Monday.

Under the eased rules, high-risk facilities such as clubs, karaoke rooms, bars and buffet restaurants can now do business.

Attendance caps at all schools nationwide will be eased to two-thirds starting Oct. 19, which will allow students to attend school every day in regions other than the densely populated Greater Seoul area.

Of the 84 new cases, 46 were in Greater Seoul -- 23 in Seoul, 15 in Gyeonggi Province and eight in Incheon.

Small gatherings among families and friends have emerged as sources of new cases.

A total of 18 people tested positive after a meeting in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, while eight cases have been tied to a gathering in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

As fall foliage season approaches, the government on Wednesday announced antivirus measures on fall foliage destinations and travelers.

The Central Disaster and Safety and Countermeasures Headquarters designated this year’s autumn foliage season between Oct. 17 and Nov. 15 as a special antivirus period, applying virus control measures for those planning to travel in a group to autumn attractions.

Toughened virus control measures will be implemented on destinations such as national parks, natural recreation forests, arboretums and temples.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun pleaded with the public to refrain from making long distance travel.

“The trial and error we have experienced should not be repeated. We are walking on thin ice that virus resurgence can happen at any time,” Chung said.

Last week, the Environment Ministry said that the Korea National Park Service planned to restrict access of large vehicles to 21 national parks around the country during October and November and recommend visits in small numbers.

Under the government plan announced Wednesday, operators providing short-term charter bus services to travelers require to keep entry logs of passengers through the electronic visitor registration systems or hand-written documents.

Those who sing and dance while traveling on chartered buses can face penalties. Authorities will ask those who decide to go on a group tour to select a representative in charge of virus prevention measures.

On-site inspections will be carried out for five days between Oct. 19 and Oct. 23 on highways, national parks, public parks, restaurants and cafes in amusement parks.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)