Coronavirus: South Korea grapples with new infection clusters a month after easing social distancing rules

South Korea was initially praised as a model for containing the pandemic, but has struggled to tackle new clusters after social distancing rules were eased

A string of new infections traced back to small churches in Seoul has stirred memories of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus cluster earlier this year

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Christians wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus pray during a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul on Sunday. Photo: AP

Published: 4:16pm, 2 Jun 2020Updated: 10:21pm, 2 Jun 2020

South Korea is braced for a fresh wave of infections centred on the capital Seoul almost a month after coronavirus restrictions were eased, as health officials grapple with newly emerging clusters before some 1.8 million students are set to return to school on Wednesday.

The country, which had reported 11,541 cases as of Tuesday, endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the Covid-19 disease outside China, but appeared to have brought it under control thanks to an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown.

Lee Hoan-jong, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, said South Korea had been among the first countries to get the virus under control and ease social distancing regulations, but this involved a “trade-off” between public health and keeping the economy afloat.

“The stricter the lockdown, the smaller the number of daily new cases. And there are always hidden pockets of infections that are hard to detect”, he said, adding that no country can afford to impose a strict lockdown indefinitely. “It appears that the South Korean government is also taking a measured approach to keep this balance.”

People pictured walking in the Myeongdong shopping district of Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Social distancing rules were relaxed in the country from early May and it was largely returning to normal until last week, when some measures were reimposed in the capital and the surrounding region following fresh clusters of cases.

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