An early-August outbreak of coronavirus at a town north of Seoul has been traced to a woman who visited a Starbucks cafe, leading to the infection of 27 customers, Fortune reports.
The woman, who reportedly was asymptomatic, patronized the coffee shop in Paju and removed her mask as she consumed her beverage, as did the other customers. Four Starbucks employees who were wearing masks did not catch the virus.
“This speaks volumes about the role masks can play,” said Ma Sang Hyuk, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Changwon Fatima Hospital in South Korea, according to Fortune. “Masks may not provide 100% protection, but there’s nothing out there that’s as effective.”
Thanks to prompt testing and contact tracing, the infected woman at the Starbucks ultimately led to more than three dozen cases of coronavirus. With more than 3,000 cases reported in August, South Korea reinitiated some public health regulations in an effort to avoid a widespread outbreak.