Gyeonggi Province: "COVID-19 Situation Remains Serious. Residents Should Refrain from Weekend Travel"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province said that while the trend of new COVID-19 confirmed cases is declining, the situation remains serious and urged the cooperation of residents.

Kim Jae-hun, director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Wellness Bureau, held a regular briefing on the 4th and said, "Even during the coming weekend, please remain vigilant and stay home as much as possible unless it is absolutely necessary to go out or gather."

As of 0 a.m. on the 4th, the number of confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province increased by 52 from 0 a.m. the previous day to a total of 3,529, with confirmed cases occurring in 18 cities and counties across the province. While recent new confirmed cases decreased from 87 on the 2nd and 63 on the 3rd, as of the 4th, among new confirmed cases, 12 (23.1%) have unknown infection sources and 16 (30.8%) are elderly aged 60 and above.

Looking at the infection routes of new confirmed cases, there are 5 cases related to Ungjin Book Club in Jinjeo, Namyangju; 4 cases related to Sparrows Chatting Bar in Ansan; 2 cases related to BHC Sujin Station Branch in Seongnam; 2 cases related to Kwonneng Church in Yeongdeungpo, etc., and 1 case related to overseas imports.
In connection with Ungjin Book Club in Jinjeo, Namyangju, 5 new confirmed cases occurred on the 3rd. The first confirmed case was an employee at the book club who developed symptoms including fever and muscle pain on the 2nd and was confirmed positive. Subsequently, tests conducted on 28 people including workplace colleagues and family contacts resulted in 4 additional confirmations among workplace colleagues, while the remaining 24 tested negative.

At the bar Sparrows Chatting in Ansan, following the first confirmation of a visitor on the 2nd, 4 additional contacts within the bar tested positive on the 3rd, bringing the cumulative confirmed cases to 5. The province requested that visitors who developed symptoms between August 22 and September 2 visit health centers for testing.
Regarding the BHC Sujin Station Branch in Seongnam, following the confirmation of a part-time worker on the 1st, 5 additional store employees tested positive, bringing the cumulative total to 6. The province is conducting active surveillance of store visitors from August 23 to 31.
Cumulative confirmed cases related to Kwonneng Church in Yeongdeungpo total 21: 6 related to Kwonneng Church in Yeongdeungpo and 15 related to Ilisam Nursing Home in Goyang, which is a secondary transmission case. Of the 2 additional confirmations on the 3rd, one is a contact of a confirmed case from Seoul related to Kwonneng Church and one is a resident of the nursing home under cohort isolation.

On the 3rd, a firefighter from Yeoncheon Fire Station who underwent testing the same day following their spouse's confirmation tested positive. The firefighter's spouse is confirmed to have had contact with a previously confirmed neighbor. Yeoncheon Fire Station is conducting preemptive testing of all staff members and conducting in-depth epidemiological investigations based on the confirmed case's movement routes.

As of 0 a.m. on the 4th, there are no additional confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church and the Gwanghwamun gathering. Regarding the Gwanghwamun gathering, among 13,429 people subject to testing, 11,943 were tested with 83 testing positive, showing a positive rate of approximately 0.7%, 11,669 tested negative, and 191 are awaiting results.

As of 0 a.m. on the 4th, Gyeonggi Province has secured 602 confirmed case treatment beds at 15 hospitals total, with 524 beds (87%) currently in use. At the Gyeonggi Sudogwon 2 Living Treatment Center and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Living Treatment Centers, a total of 4 centers have 641 people admitted as of 6 p.m. on the 3rd, showing an occupancy rate of 60.7%, with 414 remaining available capacity.