GOVT URGES SELF TESTING AND REPORTING

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Quarantine authorities say responding to the latest outbreak of COVID-19 infections in a club district is a battle against time. Authorities are urging those who have visited bars and clubs to receive testing as soon as possible, especially people working in public facilities.

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​Nine clubs in Itaewon were visited by people who were later found to have COVID-19. Those include six clubs near Exit 3 of Itaewon Station and three others located farther away. Anyone who visited these facilities in Itaewon between April 24 and May 6 must receive testing. As of Thursday, some 35,000 people received free anonymous testing. However, many more still can't be reached. Police analyzed mobile phone GPS data of more than 1,300 credit card users and provided the information to quarantine authorities.

[Soundbite] KIM KANG-LIP(VICE MINISTER OF HEALTH) : "We will modify guidelines to prevent excessive exposure of infected persons' itineraries. Do not hesitate and receive testing."

Workers of public facilities who visited the club area are strongly urged to receive testing as soon as possible. Those include educational and religious facilities, indoor sports clubs, and medical facilities such as nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals. An elderly person in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, has contracted the virus from a hospital worker who tested positive after visiting a club in Itaewon.

[Soundbite] KWON JUN-WOOK(CENTRAL DISEASE CONTROL HEADQUARTERS) : "The number one priority for quarantine authorities now is to prevent the spread of the virus among the elderly and those with underlying health conditions at hospitals, nursing homes and social welfare centers."

The government is urging the public to act responsibly by receiving testing to protect not only themselves and their families but the entire society.