Covid-19: S. Korea deploys mobile data, police to tackle nightlife cluster

Pedestrians wearing face masks walk past a night club, now closed following a visit by a confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus patient, in the nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on May 12, 2020. - AFP

SEOUL (AFP): South Korean authorities said Tuesday (May 12) they were using mobile phone data to trace Seoul nightclub visitors as they try to tackle a coronavirus cluster, promising anonymity to those being tested due to the stigma surrounding homosexuality.

The country has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus, but a spike of new cases, driven by the cluster in venues in Seoul's Itaewon district -- including several gay clubs -- forced authorities to delay this week's planned re-opening of schools.