National Gugak Center member confirmed with COVID-19

A dancer at the National Gugak Center has been confirmed with novel coronavirus infection.

The person tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, along with her family, including her husband and two children. She had previously tested negative on Feb. 8, but her husband tested positive.

Prior to the COVID-19 test, the dancer went onstage at the center in southern Seoul on Feb. 6 for a weekly performance show. Sixty-eight members from the Court Music Orchestra, Folk Music Group and Dance Theater under the NGC took to the stage for the performance.

According to the center, a total of 94 people, including 68 performers and 26 staff, are due to take the COVID-19 test. However, it did not notify the 64 audience members at the Feb. 6 event about the infection, explaining that two seats were left empty between each audience member, and the event had followed the government’s infectious disease prevention and control measures.

It said the disease control authorities did not request cooperation for epidemiological investigation of the audience.

“The troupe member provided to the authorities the information needed for an epidemiological investigation after her infections was confirmed,” an official from the NGC said. “The NGC will cooperate if the authorities decide to take other necessary measures.”

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)