New virus cases dip below 40, imported cases still worrisome
Girls in a car watch a drive-in concert at Gyeongbok Palace parking lot in Seoul, Friday. AP
New COVID-19 cases fell back to below 40 here Saturday, but the health authorities are keeping their guard up as imported cases and infection clusters continue to put a strain on their efforts to contain the deadly disease.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 39 new infections, including 28 imported cases, raising the total caseload to 13,711.
The tally marked a sharp fall from 62 cases reported Monday; 61, Thursday; and 60, Friday. The daily rise in virus cases stayed below 40, Tuesday and Wednesday, with 33 and 39, respectively.
The number of people arriving in the country who were infected overseas has been at a higher level for weeks, with double-digit numbers for 23 consecutive days. Imported cases have also been outnumbering local infections since July 12.
Of the 28 additional imported cases, 12 were detected at quarantine checkpoints in airports and seaports. The total number of imported cases is now 2,032.
Among the cases from overseas, the government has been keeping close tabs on workers returning home from Iraq after dozens of them tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.
To bring the remaining workers home safely from Iraq, the government will send chartered flights to the Middle East nation next week.
Health authorities are also on alert over potential group infections tied to Russian-flagged vessels docked in the southern city of Busan. More than 20 crewmen were confirmed to have contracted the virus on three ships in recent days.
The number of new local infections dropped below 20 again ― it had been below this from Monday to Thursday before the country reported 21 cases Friday.
Of the 11 local transmissions, nine were reported in the Seoul metropolitan area ― six in the capital, two in Gyeonggi Province and one in Incheon.
The country's southern resort island of Jeju and the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan each added one case.
The KCDC reported one additional death from the virus, bringing the total to 294.
The number of people released from quarantine after a full recovery stood at 12,519, up 59 from the previous day, while 898 are currently under treatment, down 21 from a day earlier.
South Korea has carried out 1,460,204 tests since Jan. 3. (Yonhap)