CLUSTER INFECTIONS AT GANGNEUNG

[Anchor Lead]

Coronavirus cases are surging in Gangneung due to an influx of holidaymakers. The city’s government has raised distancing restrictions to Level 4. But the shortage of disease control workers makes it challenging to keep the situation under control.

[Pkg]

People stand in a long line at a COVID-19 screening station. Cases in Gangneung have surged by more than tenfold from the previous month. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted daily has been at record-high levels for days now. It has spiked from about one thousand in mid-July to 3700 three days ago. The city received help from the central government with three more added public officials to expand on its testing staff to a total of eight. But the shortage of workers remains severe.

[Soundbite] Kim So-eun(Testing center employee) : "We used to take 30-minute breaks and work in turns, but these days we have no time to rest at all."

Epidemiologists investigating the routes of infections also have their hands full. Every day, 80 epidemiologists are deployed, but with the number of coronavirus infections in double digits for days, there’s no end in sight.

[Soundbite] Kim Chan-hee(Gangneung City Government) : "We are trying our best to put an end to this situation."

Disease prevention efforts last late into the night. A team of 150 members is not enough to inspect all businesses and facilities on a daily basis. Arguing with holidaymakers staying at the beaches during curfew hours is also part of their job.

[Soundbite] Jeon Yun-hee(Gangneung City Government) : "Civil service workers are also tired because of the prolonged pandemic. But we can't stop because we know it’s even harder for small businesses and the public."

With coronavirus outbreaks occurring sporadically at various locations simultaneously, disease prevention workers continue to have a difficult time trying to contain them.