Posted on 05/09/2020 4:18:47 AM PDT by untenured
The Seoul city government on Saturday effectively suspended business at clubs and bars in the city after recent infections in the city's popular multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon put health authorities on alert over a possibly bigger outbreak.
Under an administrative order that has gone into effect immediately, all clubs, bars, "room salons" and other nightlife establishments across the capital will be banned from hosting crowds of people, virtually suspending businesses at such venues.
"Such facilities have to suspend business immediately and will face strict punishment if they breach (the order)," Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press briefing, adding the order will remain in effect under further notice.
"Carelessness can lead to an explosion in infections -- we clearly realized this through the group infections seen in the Itaewon club case," Park said, urging businesses and the public to closely abide by quarantine measures.
The precautionary measure comes after dozens of infections were reported in relation to a 29-year-old who tested positive after spending time at five clubs and bars in Itaewon last weekend.
South Korea reported 18 new cases Saturday, with 17 of those linked to the clubber.
But health authorities forecast the number to further rise considering that at least 1,500 people signed in entry logs at the affected facilities.
Officials have urged people who visited the Itaewon clubs and bars, including King Club, Trunk Club and Club Queen, between April 29 and Wednesday to receive screening tests and refrain from going outside to prevent additional transmissions.
Park, meanwhile, pointed out that the entry logs were mostly inaccurate. City officials have failed to get into touch with more than 1,300 people on the documents, he said.
The mayor asked visitors in the cited period to voluntarily go through screening, adding that the city will otherwise consult with police for additional measures.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has confirmed 27 cases traced to the Itaewon clubber, including the patient's colleagues, as well as families and acquaintances of other patients.
The figure, tallied at 9 a.m., showed 13 were affected in Seoul, followed by 12 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, one in North Chungcheong Province and another in the southern port city of Busan.
Park, however, said 40 cases have been confirmed nationally as of noon, including 27 in Seoul, 12 in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, and one in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of the capital.
The recent infections are believed to have mostly broken out when the country was still under a social distancing scheme.
South Korea started shifting to an everyday life quarantine Wednesday, relaxing the social distancing measures after the country's new infections fell to single-digit figures. (Yonhap)
Where you think you might have heard it all, How easy is it for the domestic and foreign enemies of America who are disappointed that this virus didnt reap what they expected, start paying infected people to infiltrate and infect areas in the country to continue or start up a re shut down with the scumedia not far behind screaming the 2nd wave is upon us, we opened to early trump wants you dead
What is the meaning of “multicultural neighborhood” in Seoul South Korea?
This is too good for the Left. It will never end. Our glorious governor here in Mexifornia says that there will be a sense of normalcy when there are no deaths and few infections. He ain’t gonna let this go. When we go back to church here that will be the shot across the bow to this evil cabal.
American service personnel live there, too?
Itaewon has been known for its “Group Infections” for years. The wife and I saw a little Korean hooker bargaining with what looked like a complete Aussie football team during the Olympics.
In the 1960s, Itaewon included (not all of it) one of the “red light” districts frequented by GIs. It was a short walk from the U.S. Army HQ in Seoul to Itaewon.
Now that HQ has been moved to a whole new camp south of Seoul, and even beginning long before that Itaewon has lost some of its seediness.
Yes, Seoul especially has a large “foreign and foreign born” population; nearly 300 thousand out of nearly 2 million in all of Korea.
“This is too good for the Left. It will never end. Our glorious governor here in Mexifornia says that there will be a sense of normalcy when there are no deaths and few infections. “
That is a dangerous and intellectually false goal. He needs to be reminded he has no such goals when it comes to the seasonal flu and he cannot expect Wuhan virus numbers to ever be very much different, or better, than the seasonal flu numbers.
When and if Wuhan Virus number of deaths alone are no worse than, or better than, deaths from influenza illnesses, continuing economic shut downs would be the policies of true dictators.
Well guess what, as of the body counts for April those numbers were already nearly identical and the CDC quits counting the seasonal flu deaths after April, even though they keep mounting Wuhan Virus deaths.
It is totally unreasonable to expect Wuhan Virus case/body counts to be greatly better than what we have come to expect with the seasonal flu, and some of the Wuhan Virus deaths have been and will continue to be numbers and incidents where deaths occurred by the Wuhan Virus merely instead of likely having been obtained from the seasonal flu. Many of the same most vulnerable people who got a severe case of the Wuhan Virus might otherwise, with equal chance, have obtained a fatal illness from the seasonal flu. What is the difference is the public has not, for decades, been reminded 24/7 by the media of seasonal flu deaths every flu season. That has been “off the radar” so to speak, so to them deaths by the Wuhan Virus are “new” and “novel” and something “they have never seen”. No. It was just something they were not told about 24/7 every flu season.
No, Itaewon altogether - all of it - is not a red light district.
1. Did it have a past where “red light district” activity was part of Itaewon. Yes, probably right after the Korean War, and for some time after that.
2. But while there still are some of that in Itaewon today, the whole of Itaewon has outgrown that, grown beyond that.
Calling Itaewon a “red light district” today is not very different than calling 42nd Street in Manhattan the porn center of New York City, which it once was. And anyone who thinks Itaewon was ever or is today the only location where prostitution can found in Seoul, just does not know Seoul. Many Korean men in the 1960s did not go to Itaewon for prostitutes - that’s where the GIs went.
The largest prostitution area around Seoul was Cheongnyangni 588.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheongnyangni_588
Euphemisms are so handy for muddying the information.
the city’s popular multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon is full of whores, drugs, bars and bad housing.
I worked the Comm center there in the early 70’s
Hard working folks throughout Korea.
No wonder they’re having CV outbreaks there.
Social distancing in a socially energized environment. Good luck.
That’ll kill off any chance for romance or much else.
When I was there, we called it martial law.. Off the streets at midnight and told to stay there until 6am or such.
Times change, people don’t. Viruses mutate, politicians procrastinate.
Yes, I knew a few people from Comm in early 70’s. I worked in the PAO and my husband was a broadcaster for AFKN.
South Korea crushed the virus at the beginning. Good job. But that leaves them vulnerable to a later outbreak. All it takes is for one visitor to spread the virus. The Swedish approach is much more sustainable in long term as they attain herd immunity before everyone else.
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