INCHEON -- A man who worked at a private education institution in Incheon was detained for not cooperating with authorities who were tracing the new coronavirus and apparently worsening the outbreak in the western port city, police said Monday.

The 24-year-old, who contracted the virus after visiting nightclubs in the Seoul neighborhood of Itaewon in early May, is suspected of lying to health authorities about his job and itinerary, which eventually led to a community spread in Incheon, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

The police detained him on charges of violating the law on prevention and control of infectious diseases, and sent the case to the prosecution saying he should be indicted.

The instructor reportedly told authorities that he is jobless and did not report that he taught at a cram school in Incheon.

Local health authorities, who were dubious of his report, asked the police to secure his mobile phone records, which delayed the tracing process that could have prevented additional infections.

More than 40 elementary, middle and high school students were infected in Incheon, with chain transmissions estimated to have infected some 80 patients across the country.

The man recovered from the infectious virus after a monthlong treatment but had remained hospitalized due to another medical condition police did not elaborate on.

The man told the police that he lied because he was "shocked by the test results that came out positive" and that he couldn't remember (his itinerary) accurately, adding he is "sorry to all those infected," according to the police.

Police said they plan to strictly deal with those refusing or disrupting epidemiological studies.

South Korea has reported 13,771 cases of the new coronavirus since its first case was reported on Jan. 20. Around one-fourth of them were reported in the greater Seoul area. (Yonhap)