South Korea reports 45 new cases of coronavirus infection

- S. Korea reports 45 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 13,816

- No additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 296

- 71 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 12,643

South Korea reported more than 40 additional new coronavirus cases on Tuesday due to cluster infections tied to a nursing hospital in the capital city, while imported cases remained high.

The country identified 45 new cases, raising the total caseload to 13,816, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of the newly added cases, 20 were local infections.

The country's new daily virus cases fell below 30 for the first time in more than three weeks on Monday, driven by a sharp decline in local infections. South Korea added just four local cases, which was the first single-digit figure in two months.

Of the locally transmitted cases reported on Tuesday, 18 were from Seoul.

On Monday, health authorities said a nursing home in western Seoul reported nine new COVID-19 cases that were not included in the previous day's tally.

The country's southern resort island of Jeju added one new case.

South Korea normalized the operation of public facilities, such as museums and libraries, in the greater Seoul area this week, as local transmissions continued to hover around 20 or below recently.

The facilities will still obligate visitors to go through quick response (QR) code-based registration system that can help health authorities track potential virus cases, according to the authorities. The system is already applied in clubs and bars.

Imported cases have risen by double-digit figures for 26 consecutive days. The latest increase was mostly attributable to workers returning from Iraq and a series of cluster infections on Russian-flagged vessels docked in the country's southeastern port city of Busan.

Health authorities worry that the number of imported cases may continue to climb down the road as global air travel is slowly being normalized, with the country also planning to send another chartered flight to Iraq to bring home 300 nationals.

The country also has been requesting foreign arrivals from six high-risk nations to hand in virus test results upon their arrivals.

But health authorities said imported cases are unlikely to lead to local infections.

Health authorities say South Korea is not likely to suffer a new wave of the pandemic as observed earlier this year when the daily new cases even breached 900 at one point, but they are still alert over the summer vacation season when more people are likely to make short trips home.

The country's death toll came to 296, remaining unchanged from the previous day, according to the KCDC.

As of Tuesday, 12,643 of the infected have been released after a full recovery, up 71 from a day before. (Yonhap)