South Korea’s new coronavirus cases show the perils of reopening
Commuters wear protective masks as they crowd on a subway escalator during rush hour on May 11, 2020, in Seoul, South Korea. | Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Just one sick person led to a sudden increase of new infections in South Korea. The weekend before last, a 29-year-old South Korean man visited five night clubs in Seoul, where he partied with around 7,200 other people. Five days later — the same day South Korea relaxed social distancing measures — he tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the country’s first local infection in four days.
According to South Korean health officials, nearly 80 new Covid-19 cases have since been linked to the man’s outing in the Itaewon neighborhood. And on Monday, officials announced 35 new confirmed infections — the highes...