[Anchor]
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon says the public need not worry about the new cluster of novel coronavirus infections at a call center in the Guro District.
He stressed it will not turn into a second Shincheonji situation, referring to the religious sect where a majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country came from.
The remarks came as the number of cases associated with the call center rose to 102.
Ron Chang has the details.
[Reporter]
In an online briefing Thursday, Mayor Park said 71 of those associated with the mass infection live in Seoul, 14 in Gyeonggi and 17 in Incheon.
He said the Seoul city government has decided to designate the area around the Korea Building a special infectious disease support zone.
Park vowed to carry out tests on all call center personnel by later in the day as well as work with police to track down everyone that visited the building between February 28 and March 11.
The call center is so far the largest mass infection of the new coronavirus in the capital.
Others include the Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital and an apartment complex in the Seongdong District.
Meanwhile, the government has unveiled virus prevention guidelines for confined workplaces and public-use facilities, which are vulnerable to group transmission of the disease.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the guidelines will be distributed to businesses that operate in enclosed spaces, including internet cafes, karaoke rooms and fitness centers.
The recommendations call on business operators to set up a prevention system to better protect their workers and customers.
Ron Chang, eFM News.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
