A bird's-eye view of Sejong Government Complex. Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

SEJONG ― The number of new COVID-19 infections in Sejong and nearby Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province soared over the weekend, with residents becoming increasingly concerned that the administrative city south of Seoul and its surroundings will no longer remain relatively insulated from the raging Omicron variant.

Many expressed anxiety that infections in the sparsely populated region will spread just as rapidly as in Seoul, with the fear of death and losing their elderly loved ones spreading faster.

"I have been in self-quarantine since I was confirmed last week," a government official said on condition of anonymity. "Those who came into contact with me at work including the ones who were in the same office as me rushed to get tested at my urging. I'm sorry because I feel like I caused them the trouble."

The official who works for one of the Sejong-based government ministries is one of over 650 newly infected people confirmed Saturday. Daejeon reported 3,110 new infections the same day, and South Chungcheong Province saw 3,348 new cases.

Data from Sejong City showed it registered 11,748 total confirmed cases as of Tuesday, with 5,485 undergoing treatment and 6,259 fully recovered. Four have died thus far.