S. Korea reports 26 new cases of coronavirus infection
South Korea's new daily virus cases fell below 30 for the first time in more than three weeks on Monday in a potential sign of a slowdown in virus infections, but imported cases continued to rise by double digit figures.
- S. Korea reports 26 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 13,771
- 1 additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 296
- 16 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 12,572
South Korea's new daily virus cases fell below 30 for the first time in more than three weeks on Monday in a potential sign of a slowdown in virus infections, but imported cases continued to rise by double digit figures.
The country identified 26 new cases, raising the total caseload to 13,771, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of the newly added cases, just four were local infections. It was the lowest daily increase since 17 cases reported on June 22.
The number of locally-transmitted cases also reached a single-digit figure for the first time in two months after nine cases on May 19, the KCDC data showed.
It marked a drastic turnaround from the previous day, when the country reported more locally transmitted cases than imported cases for the first time in eight days.
The country has seen double-digit numbers of imported cases for 25 consecutive days as of Monday, adding 22 of such cases.
South Korea has recorded a sharp increase in the number of imported cases, 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.
The country has been struggling to curb such infections detected at border check-points, requesting arrivals from six high-risk nations to submit proof of negative virus test results.
The accumulated number of imported cases reached 2,067, with Asian countries, excluding China, taking up 39 percent of the total, the KCDC data showed. Arrivals from the Americas accounted for 34 percent. Those from China were responsible for 1 percent. Of the locally-transmitted cases, two were from Seoul.
An office building in the capital city's southwestern ward of Gwanak reported 13 new cases on Sunday, raising the total related caseload to 32.
Gwangju, located some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, added one more case on Monday.
South Korea, which did not impose a full lockdown since detecting its first COVID-19 case in January, lifted most of its social-distancing rules in early May when it reported single-digit daily cases.
The country later decided to again tighten social-distancing rules in Seoul and its surrounding areas in June due to growing infections from nightlife establishments, churches, and logistics centers.
With the number of daily local transmissions recently hovering around 20 or below, South Korea resumed operations of some museums and libraries in the greater Seoul area starting Monday.
Health authorities, however, are still vigilant over the spread of the virus in vacation spots over the summer, pointing out that the season will serve as a critical juncture for the nation's anti-virus fight.
The country's death toll came to 296, with one more virus-caused death reported, according to the KCDC. The fatality rate reached 2.15 percent.
As of Monday, 12,572 of the infected have been released after a full recovery, up 16 from a day before. The country has carried out 1,470,193 COVID-19 tests so far. (Yonhap)