(2nd LD) Logistics center-linked virus cases spike, stoking concern over further domestic spread

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SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday reported a continued rise in new coronavirus cases linked to a logistics center in a city west of Seoul, putting health authorities on alert over further community spread.

As of 9 a.m., at least 36 virus cases had been traced to the logistics center in Bucheon, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The first related case, confirmed last week, is believed to be linked to a cram school instructor in nearby Incheon, who contracted the virus after a visit to Seoul's nightlife area of Itaewon.

Of the confirmed cases, 22 have been reported in Incheon, west of Seoul, followed by 10 in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital and four in Seoul.

Concerns about community spread have mounted as Seoul and its surrounding areas are home to roughly half of South Korea's population of more than 50 million.

Health authorities said they are conducting an epidemiological study into the cases, adding that workers at the facility operated by e-commerce leader Coupang did not appear to properly comply with quarantine measures.

"If quarantine measures are not implemented at workplaces, there could be the dreadful result of mass infections," Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said in a briefing.

Health authorities are testing some 4,000 people, including 3,600 workers at the facility. Coupang shut down the facility on Monday.

The KCDC said it is also looking into the possibility that the logistics center-tied cases could have started through a route that is not connected to the Itaewon outbreak.

In another alarming case, Market Kurly, an online grocery delivery platform, said a temporary worker at its logistics center in eastern Seoul was infected with the virus.

The company said it has closed down the facility and will have some 300 workers who might have come in contact with the patient tested for the virus.

The KCDC said there is a low possibility that COVID-19 spread through the transportation of packages from the logistics center. But consumers' anxiety is growing as more Koreans have used online shopping during the pandemic.

South Korea has raised its guard against cluster infections amid a steady rise in Itaewon-linked infections. Health authorities remained skittish over the impacts of phased school reopenings on efforts to contain the virus.

The country reported 40 new cases, including 37 local infections, Wednesday, raising the total caseload to 11,265.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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