By Kim Young Deok and Lee Jihae

The government is acting to contain a recent surge of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections that occurred at clubs in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul's Yongsan-gu District.

The Ministry of Education on May 11 said it will postpone the start of the school year for high school seniors from May 13 to May 20. Schools will open a week later than scheduled for other grades from elementary to high school.

Considering the potential for further spread of COVID-19 by those exposed to the disease and community transmission, the ministry said it will flexibly respond based on how the pandemic unfolds.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government laid out quarantine steps for public transportation stronger than the ones implemented before social distancing. The city on May 11 said it will ban passengers without masks from boarding densely packed subway cars, and subway cars can pass without stopping at stations with heavy passenger traffic such as Gangnam and Sindorim.

The number of buses will also be raised to prevent heavy congestion in them.

"We will thoroughly manage congestion issues in public transportation and thus prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are striving to make public transportation usable by people without fear," the city said.

kyd1991@korea.kr