GWANGYANG, South Korea– Twenty-one students have tested positive for the new coronavirus at a middle school in the southwestern city of Gwangyang, local officials said Monday.
Health authorities conducted coronavirus tests for all 581 students and staff of the school in the city, some 420 kilometers south of Seoul, after one student was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sunday.
Of them, 20 were confirmed Monday to have contracted the disease, officials said.
The government of South Jeolla Province, which Gwangyang belongs to, sent epidemiological investigators to conduct contract tracing.
The authorities banned the movement of the patients’ family members and those who came into close contact with them and ordered the school to conduct all classes online until Sept. 17.
Health officials began COVID-19 tests for all people related to the school’s students, teachers and their families.
“As the situation is very serious, citizens are advised to refrain from moving and strictly follow the infection prevention rules,” the province government said.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 1,375 new cases nationwide Monday as the country grapples with the fourth wave of coronavirus infections.
Source: Yonhap News Agency