COVID-19 TRANSMISSIONS OUTSIDE OF SEOUL

[Anchor Lead]

Even though COVID-19 infections are predominantly focused in the wider metro area, other regions are neither safe from the outbreak. In the Cheonan, Asan area, 21 cases have been reported over 3 days connected to a confirmed patient in his 50s whose infection route is undetermined, raising concerns over cluster infections.

[Pkg]

The 60th COVID-19 patient in Asan City has triggered a chain of infections. This man played golf in Asan and ate at a restaurant in Cheonan on October 25. The restaurant's owner who was infected at the time then went on to use a local bath house, further spreading the disease. The man also infected five of his colleagues. Five people contracted the virus at the restaurant which includes the owner and employees while eleven others have been infected at the bath house. The infection case count may rise as the restaurant owner visited the bathhouse nearly every single day until testing positive on October 31. A public bathhouse in neighboring Cheonan city is also linked to 17 cases all confirmed on October 18. Following the outbreak, authorities have been considering imposing a business restriction on saunas.

[Soundbite] PARK SANG-DON(CHEONAN MAYOR) : "We are reviewing whether a complete shutdown is the right way or it's better to impose time restrictions to raise alert..."

The city has also filed a complaint against the restaurant owner with the police over charges of giving inaccurate statements on the date and frequency of visits to the bath house, which caused a delay in epidemiological surveys. But Cheonan officials did not disclose which golf course Asan's No. 60 COVID-19 patient had visited, citing it's not in their jurisdiction.

[Soundbite] LEE HYEON-GI(LOCAL HEALTH CENTER, CHEONAN) : "That disclosure is up to local authorities in Asan and it's not something for us to do."

In addition to these cases, four individuals who were in self-isolation in the Cheonan and Asan areas have also tested positive.