A new cluster of COVID-19 cases has emerged in Seoul, South Korea, which has renewed fear of the second wave of infections in re-opening countries. South Korea was among the first countries to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak, however, after weeks of low infection rates, it had begun to loosen restrictions. For now, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has declared that this reopening will be pushed back further as a result of the new cases. China is also announcing renewed restrictions after two cities reported new cases, Shulan, and Wuhan. Shulan reported 11 confirmed cases while Wuhan has also reported 5 new infections.
The developments have to lead to concerns over the second wave of COVID-19 infections, as none of the Chinese cases were imported from overseas. As European and North American countries seek to reopen and return to normalcy, the situation in South Korea and China warns against reopening too soon. The new cases in Wuhan, an intensely surveilled and restricted region, has lead to concerns about the viability of reopening. However, as economies struggle due to government lockdowns, officials decide between financial risk and health risks in terms of reopening non-essential businesses and other services.
