SCHOOLS FULLY REOPEN AMID SURGE IN PATIENTS

[Anchor Lead]

As of yesterday, schools in Korea have fully reopened. However, some schools were closed temporarily after a high school student who recently visited a large amusement park in Seoul tested positive for COVID-19.

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Children donning P.E. uniforms and protective masks go to school. Middle school students had waited 99 days to finally see their classmates. They are excited to put on their school uniform for the first time.

[Soundbite] AHN SUNG-HOON(MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT) : "I'm excited to be at school wearing my uniform. I'm both excited and nervous."

Students in grades five through seven began in-person classes on Monday for the first time this year. Now all schools in Korea have fully reopened. Some 5.6 million children in the nation, from kindergartners to high school seniors, are back in school. However, some schools had to close down temporarily because of the spread of COVID-19. About a dozen schools in Seoul switched to distance learning again after a high school senior tested positive for the coronavirus after visiting Lotte World. The student's close contacts including three other students who accompanied her were tested first. Their results all came back negative. Some 800 people including students, teachers and family members are subject to testing in relation to the Lotte World infection. They are receiving tests at screening stations set up in their schools and at nearby medical centers. Quarantine authorities believe the infected student has not infected many people as her viral shedding was found to be quite low. She was also said to be wearing a mask while she was at Lotte World. Quarantine authorities are urging students to follow virus prevention rules.

[Soundbite] JUNG EUN-KYUNG(DIRECTOR, KOREA CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION) : "Students who have a fever and respiratory symptoms must stay at home and avoid visiting public places such as singing rooms, Internet cafes and entertainment facilities after school."

Some 510 schools nationwide had to postpone opening, with 99 percent of them located in the Seoul metropolitan area.