Korea's daily infections bounce back to over 260,000
People line up to take a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing station near Seoul Station, April 5. Yonhap
Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases jumped to over 260,000, Monday, as the spread of the Omicron variant slowed down after peaking out last month.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 266,135 new infections, bringing the total caseload to 14,267,401.
Monday's tally marked a sharp climb from 127,190 reported for Sunday. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.
The number, however, is down from 347,554 reported a week earlier.
The death toll rose 209 to 17,662, the KDCA said, for a fatality rate of 0.12 percent; while the number of critically ill patients stood at 1,121, up 13 from the previous day.
Concerns linger that daily infections could bounce back again, as the government eased social distancing regulations Monday for two weeks in a move to reduce the plight of small merchants and business owners hit hard by the pandemic.
The private gathering limit has been eased to 10 people from eight, and the business hour curfew on restaurants and cafes has been extended by one hour to midnight. (Yonhap)