6-Year-Old Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Complicating South Korea's School Reopening Plans

25 May 2020 by Tommy Beer

TOPLINE

Just two days before South Korea planned to move to “phase two” of its school reopening timeline — in which lower grades of elementary schools could resume classes— a 6-year-old kindergarten student in Seoul tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in school closures and revealing the complicated task for governments trying to reopen economies while the virus is still spreading.

https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1224086970/960x0.jpg?fit=scale — SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MAY 11: Disinfection professional and government official wearing protective ... [+] clothing spray anti-septic solution at classroom to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) ahead of school re-opening on May 11, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea's education ministry announced plans to re-open schools starting from May 13, more than two months after schools were closed in a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. Coronavirus cases linked to clubs and bars in Seoul's multicultural district of Itaewon have jumped to 54, an official said Sunday, as South Korea struggles to stop the cluster infection from spreading further. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 35 new cases were reported. The total number of infections in the nation tallies at 10,909. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)Getty Images

KEY FACTS

In the first phase of South Korea's reopening plan, a number of schools opened up on May 20 and the second phase is set to begin on Wednesday.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the 6-year-old is believed to have contracted the virus from his art teacher at Young Rembrandts, a private art school in Magok of Gangseo on the south side of the Han River.

The teacher tested positive Sunday and taught 35 students at the institute and had contact with three other teachers there; the teachers all wore masks, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

Ten nearby kindergartens and five elementary schools will remain closed for two days for disinfection and other precautionary measures.

According to the news report, "the education office is mulling whether to have the boy's kindergarten offer online classes to prevent the potential spread of the virus. A decision on other affected schools will be determined based on the test results."

Officials worldwide are trying to figure the best ways to safely reopen school systems; for instance, in Denmark, which started reopening schools in mid-April, classes are being held outside as much as possible.

Big Number:

11,206: As of Monday morning, South Korea has 11,206 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 267 fatalities.

Crucial Quote:

"Until treatments and vaccines are developed, we will never know when the Covid-19 crisis could end, and until then, we will have to learn how to live with Covid-19," said Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho last week.

Key Background:

The United States and South Korea each reported their first confirmed case of the coronavirus to the World Health Organization on the same day, January 20. South Korea has received credit for their successful efforts in quickly stabilizing the outbreak through aggressive tracking and testing. However, they saw a spike in early May after a cluster of new coronavirus cases emerged in the capital Seoul linked to reopened nightclubs. Consequently, South Korean officials pushed back plans to reopen schools, after initially intending to do so on May 13th. Last Wednesday, high school seniors were the first students cleared to return. Masks, temperature checks, and antibacterial gel were required before entering campus each day, and plastic screens separate the students in their classrooms and cafeterias. Last Monday, France's education minister said 70 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in schools that were allowed to reopen.