SEOUL – Temperature screening at the school gate, check.

Hand sanitisers placed in every classroom, check.

Transparent dividers on every table in the canteen, check.

These and more precautionary measures greeted some 450,000 mask-clad high school seniors returning to school on Wednesday (May 20), as South Korea pushed ahead with resuming normal life despite concerns over sporadic outbreaks of the coronavirus in places such as clubs, karaoke rooms and a hospital.

Thirty-two new cases were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total to 11,110. The death toll stands at 263.

High school seniors became the first to resume face-to-face lessons as they race against time to prepare for the annual college entrance exam slated for Dec 3. Other levels will follow suit in phases till June 8.

Noting the coronavirus will remain a concern for the rest of the year, Ms Jung Eun-kyeong, director general of Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said it is necessary to “look for ways to carry out both our daily activities in a safe manner and take measures to prevent the virus”.

The resumption of face-to-face lessons nationwide, which came after an 11-week delay, went smoothly except in cities Incheon and Anseong.

Students in 66 high schools in five districts in Incheon were sent home early after it was found that two students in the city tested positive for the virus, possibly in connection to the club cluster in Seoul’s nightlife hub Itaewon.

Lessons at nine high schools in Anseong ended early as well, after an Itaewon-linked case emerged in the city.

The Education Ministry has said emergency measures are in place in case of an outbreak in schools, and they will take prompt action like resuming online learning.

The Itaewon cluster has grown to 196 cases as of noon yesterday, spreading further via karaoke rooms, Internet cafes and a cab.

There is no known link yet between the Itaewon cluster and a new outbreak at Samsung Medical Centre, where four nurses have tested positive. A friend of one of the nurses is also infected, bringing the tally to five.

Seoul mayor Park Won-soon warned there could be a “silent spreader” causing the infections, adding they will closely monitor the situation.

Health authorities have ruled out a return to more stringent social distancing measures, as they have managed to keep clusters under control.

The daily tally of new cases has remained below 50 and most can be traced to a known source.

Vice-Health Minister Kim Ganglip said yesterday it is “not appropriate” to return to stricter social distancing now, as the priority is to minimise infections through quarantine measures in the community.

South Korea has adopted an “everyday life quarantine” scheme since May 6, calling on people to resume normal life while abiding by certain rules, such as keeping a 2-metre social distance and washing hands for 30 seconds.

In line with new safety guidelines, class sizes in schools have been reduced, space between desks widened and some windows opened for better ventilation.

Yesterday, high school students were seen keeping an arm’s length from one another as they queued to have their temperatures taken and go up to their classrooms.

Most seemed happy to finally see their friends again.

Student Kim Min-sung of Shinmok High School in Seoul told Yonhap TV she “missed school so much that it appeared in my dreams”.

“But I also feel a bit burdened knowing there’s so much catching up to do in school,” she added.

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