July 8, 2020

Coronavirus Disease Exposure and Spread from Nightclubs, South Korea

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

• As of May 25, 246 COVID-19 cases have been linked to an outbreak at a nightclub in Seoul, South Korea. Nightclubs in South Korea that had been closed previously as part of the social distancing policy re–opened on April 30, ahead of the April 30–May 5 Golden Week holiday. Through large scale contact tracing, Kang et al. tested 41,612 nightclub visitors and their contacts, of whom 0.6% were positive: 96 (39%) of SARS-CoV-2 positive persons were primary cases and 150 (61%) were secondary contacts. This suggests that superspreading events related to nightclubs have the potential to spark a resurgence of cases in South Korea. 

Kang et al. (July 7, 2020). Coronavirus Disease Exposure and Spread from Nightclubs, South Korea. Emerging Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2610.202573