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| Men wear face masks as a precaution against COVID-19 past in a park in Seoul, April 8. AP |
Daily new COVID-19 cases stayed in the high 600s for a second straight day Friday as the health authorities warned that the country may be facing a fourth wave of infections.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 677 more coronavirus cases, including 662 local infections, raising the total caseload to 108,945.
The total is slightly larger than the 671 for Thursday but marked a fall from a three-month high of 700 new cases Wednesday.
The average daily caseload has reached 601 over the last seven days on lingering infection clusters alongside untraceable cases.
The country also added one more death from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,765.
Despite worries over a new wave of the pandemic, the government decided to keep its current level of social distancing rules through May 2, though some measures for small businesses will be tightened.
The greater Seoul area, home to half of the nation's 51.7 million population, is under Level 2 distancing measures, the third highest in a five-phase system. The rest of the country is under Level 1.5, but some municipalities have adopted Level 2 regulations.
Private gatherings of five or more people are banned nationwide; while a gathering ban on bars and other entertainment establishments, such as nightclubs, will go into effect Monday in Seoul, Incheon, Busan and Gyeonggi Province.
Of the newly confirmed local cases, 63.3 percent, or 421, were in the capital area, with 198 in Seoul, 199 in Gyeonggi Province and 24 in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of the capital. The southern port city of Busan reported 56 more cases.
There were 15 imported cases, down from 27 a day earlier, bringing the country's total number of such infections to 7,804.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients was 108, down five from the previous day.
The number of people released from quarantine after making a recovery was 99,301, up 515 from Thursday, with 7,879 people being isolated for COVID-19 treatment, up 161.
South Korea has carried out 8,106,630 COVID-19 tests, including 47,517 Thursday. (Yonhap)
