COVID-19: South Korea claims patients who re-tested positive are not contagious

South Korean health officials reportedly said on May 18 that patients who re-tested positive for coronavirus after being discharged from the hospital are not contagious. The Korean Centre for Disease Control (KCDC) reportedly made announcements after conducting lab tests of 108 cases and epidemiology investigations on 285 cases to find out whether the coronavirus patients should be quarantined for two weeks after being released from the hospital. 

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790 close contacts tested

According to the international media reports, the health officials tested around 790 close contacts of the 285 cases who re-tested positive after recovering from coronavirus but they did not found any infections. The health officials reportedly said that they cannot say why some of the patients were re-testing positive for the virus. On the other hand, they added that the experts believe that PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test was detecting pieces of dead virus. 

READ: South Korea To Refrain From Reimposing Lockdown Despite Surge In COVID-19 Cases

Meanwhile, South Korea has announced that it will reopen schools next week with precautionary measures such as reduction of classroom capacity and use of protective masks. Vice-Education Minister Park Baeg-beom said at the press conference that his ministry was "not considering" any further delay in the reopening of schools, slated to begin in phases from May 20 onwards.  

Earlier, on May 7, South Korea postponed the reopening of the schools for at least a week due to the cluster outbreak at Itaewon. However, the officials now stressed that the high school seniors had to return to school, as they were supposed to prepare for a year-end college entrance exam. As many as 14 people, including nine students, were infected by the 25-year-old tutor living in Incheon city, who had visited one of five gay clubs in Itaewon, the hotspot for infection, during the April 30- May 5 weekends, as per local media reports.  

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READ: South Korea: 101 Coronavirus Cases Linked To Nightclub Cluster