S.Korea scrambles to contain capital nightclub coronavirus outbreak

South Korean officials scrambled on Monday to contain a new coronavirus outbreak, searching for thousands of people who may have been infected in a cluster of cases linked to nightclubs and bars in the densely populated capital city of Seoul.

The Asian country has been lauded for its quick action on the pandemic, significantly reducing the rate of new infections in recent weeks, but a resurgence in case numbers has raised concerns that the country could be entering a second wave of outbreak.

Officials reported 35 new infections across the country as of midnight on Sunday, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month.

Twenty-nine of those new cases were linked to an outbreak at a number of Seoul nightclubs and bars, many of them catering to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

That has raised complications for officials desperately trying to track those who might be infected in a nation where open homosexuality is often taboo and LGBTQ people still face discrimination, including job loss and hate speech.

Authorities have tested more than 2,450 people who had patronized the night spots in the Itaewon neighborhood, but were still trying to track down around 3,000 more. Hundreds of other people who came in contact with clubgoers have also been tested.

“Our top priority is to minimize the spread of the infections in the greater Seoul area,” Prime Minister Chung Syekyun told a meeting with government officials on Monday, calling on local governments to work with police to track down patrons. “We should quickly find and test them, and speed is key.”

The outbreak has highlighted the potential unintended side effects of South Korea's invasive tracing methods and wide public disclosure of some patient information as part of its approach to tackling the coronavirus. Seoul mayor Park Won-soon pleaded with clubgoers to be tested.