South Korea tracks new coronavirus outbreak in Seoul nightclubs
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
July 03, 2022

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, JULY 03, 2022
South Korea tracks new coronavirus outbreak in Seoul nightclubs

Coronavirus chronicle

Reuters
08 May, 2020, 04:30 pm
Last modified: 08 May, 2020, 04:34 pm

Related News

  • North Korea says US-South Korea-Japan agreement materialises US plan for 'Asian NATO'
  • North Korea blames 'alien things' near border with South for Covid outbreak
  • S Korea says leaflets sent by defectors unlikely to be cause of Covid in N Korea
  • S Korea approves first domestically developed Covid vaccine
  • Cooperation by US and allies a step toward 'Asian NATO': N Korea media

South Korea tracks new coronavirus outbreak in Seoul nightclubs

South Korea has reported only a handful of cases in recent days, the majority of them in people arriving from overseas

Reuters
08 May, 2020, 04:30 pm
Last modified: 08 May, 2020, 04:34 pm
A list of precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is seen at an entrance of a club in Seoul, South Korea, May 8, 2020. REUTERS
A list of precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is seen at an entrance of a club in Seoul, South Korea, May 8, 2020. REUTERS

South Korean health authorities are investigating a small but growing coronavirus outbreak centred in a handful of Seoul nightclubs, seeking to keep infections in check as the country moves to less restrictive social distancing measures.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Friday at least 15 people have confirmed cases of the virus linked to the clubs in Itaewon, a neighbourhood popular with Koreans and foreigners in the city.

South Korea has reported only a handful of cases in recent days, the majority of them in people arriving from overseas. The nightclub infections, while still limited, are expected to increase, and come at a time when the country has eased some social distancing restrictions.

"These venues have all the dangerous conditions that we were the most concerned about," KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said on Friday, referring to crowding and ventilation issues.

"We think it is necessary to strengthen management for such facilities and we urge you to refrain from visiting such facilities as much as possible."

Seoul city officials say they have a list of about 1,500 people who have visited the clubs, and more cases have been confirmed in other cities where the patients lived or travelled. Authorities have asked anyone who visited the clubs over the weekend to self isolate for 14 days and be tested.

The cluster of infections also raised controversy over the possible unintended side effects of South Korea's invasive tracing and wide public disclosure of some patient information.

When several local media outlets identified the nightclubs as "gay clubs," it sparked criticism the disclosures and media coverage could out lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals against their will or lead to discrimination.

"Gay" and "Itaewon corona" were among the top trending terms on South Korea's Naver web search portal following the reports.

Some social media users worried that fear of public disclosure could deter some club goers from being tested, and compared the cluster to the country's largest outbreak, which infected thousands of members of a secretive church.

The reports included the age, gender, location and movements of the first individual who was tested positive after visiting those clubs, as well as the type of job he worked in, according to Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights in Korea, the nation's largest rights group.

"It is not just unhelpful to disclose information of an individual's movement for prevention efforts, but also a serious human rights violation that invades the individual's privacy and has him outed to society," the group said.

Some local media later ammended headlines, removing references to "gay bars" but did not make any official apologies.

Homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, and there is growing public acceptance of LGBTQ relations.

Yet discrimination remains widespread and some gay people suffer hate crimes, rights advocates say.

To battle the coronavirus outbreak, South Korea has embraced a high-tech approach to contact tracing, which can include accessing a patient's cell phone location data, CCTV footage, credit card statements, and other information.

Automated cell phone alerts are then sent to anyone suspected of having been in the same area as the confirmed case, with health authorities often disclosing details on the patient's gender, age, whereabouts and sometimes workplace in an effort to track new cases.

south korea

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Export earnings hit record high $52.08B in FY22
    Export earnings hit record high $52.08B in FY22
  • Remittance inflow down by 15% in FY21-22 
    Remittance inflow down by 15% in FY21-22 
  • Photo of Bangladesh Secretariat/Collected
    Govt stops purchasing new cars for ministries, departments

MOST VIEWED

  • A man helps his son to wear mask at Covid-19 test centre at KSRTC bus stand in Bengaluru.(PTI)
    India records 16,103 new Covid cases, 31 deaths in 24 hours
  • Former North Korean defectors living in South Korea, release balloons containing one dollar banknotes, radios, CDs and leaflets denouncing the North Korean regime, towards the north near the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas in Paju, north of Seoul January 15, 2014. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
    North Korea blames 'alien things' near border with South for Covid outbreak
  • People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Picture taken March 30, 2020. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
    S Korea says leaflets sent by defectors unlikely to be cause of Covid in N Korea
  • Test tubes are seen in front of displayed Pfizer and Biontech logos in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. Reuters: llustration
    BioNTech, Pfizer to start testing universal vaccine for coronaviruses
  • A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
    S Korea approves first domestically developed Covid vaccine
  • Photo: Collected
    US medical experts call for Omicron-specific Covid boosters

Related News

  • North Korea says US-South Korea-Japan agreement materialises US plan for 'Asian NATO'
  • North Korea blames 'alien things' near border with South for Covid outbreak
  • S Korea says leaflets sent by defectors unlikely to be cause of Covid in N Korea
  • S Korea approves first domestically developed Covid vaccine
  • Cooperation by US and allies a step toward 'Asian NATO': N Korea media

Features

A Glittery Eid

A Glittery Eid

4h | Mode
Rise’s target customers are people who crave to express themselves through what they wear, and their clothing line is not relegated to any age range.

Level up your Eid game with Rise

5h | Mode
Stefan Dercon, a Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and former Chief Economist of the Department of International Development (DFID). Illustration: TBS

Renewing the ‘elite bargain’ for Bangladesh’s future growth

7h | Panorama
The eye-catching commuter: Suzuki Gixxer SF 155

The eye-catching commuter: Suzuki Gixxer SF 155

1d | Wheels

More Videos from TBS

Chirkutt performs on Fete de La Music Fest

Chirkutt performs on Fete de La Music Fest

6h | Videos
Madhuri Sanchita's seed ornaments exhibition

Madhuri Sanchita's seed ornaments exhibition

6h | Videos
Bangabandhu Tunnel to change lives of million

Bangabandhu Tunnel to change lives of million

18h | Videos
Sowari Ghat's fresh fish market

Sowari Ghat's fresh fish market

18h | Videos

Most Read

1
Padma Bridge from satellite. Photo: Screengrab
Bangladesh

Padma Bridge from satellite 

2
Meet the man behind 'Azke amar mon balo nei'
Splash

Meet the man behind 'Azke amar mon balo nei'

3
TBS Illustration
Education

Universities may launch online classes again after Eid

4
Photo: TBS
Bangladesh

Motorcycles banned on Padma Bridge 

5
Photo: Collected
Economy

Tech startup ShopUp bags $65m in Series B4 funding

6
World Bank to give Bangladesh $18b IDA loans in next five years
Economy

World Bank to give Bangladesh $18b IDA loans in next five years

EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2022
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Launch operators on various river routes see a steep drop in passengers after the opening of the the Padma Bridge. Photo: TBS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net