New virus cases stay below 200 for 3rd day in South Korea

A church in Gwangju's Gwangsan-gu District is closed on Sept. 4 where two people were infected with COVID-19. They were infected after members of a family who had attended the controversial large-scale congregation in downtown Seoul in August that led to mass cluster infections of the coronavirus visited the church. Yonhap

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Saturday that the number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea stayed below 200 for the previous day ― the third straight ― but the health authorities said it is still too early for the country to let down its guard.

The KCDC reported 168 additional infections, including 158 local ones, raising the total caseload to 21,010.

The country has been posting triple-digit rises for around three weeks due to infection clusters tied to a slew of churches and an anti-government rally in central Seoul in mid-August.

After keeping new cases of COVID-19 in two-digit numbers for more than five months, more than 100 cases were recorded Aug. 14 before skyrocketing to 441, Aug. 27. The number fell below 300 last Sunday.

While the latest figure marks a fall from 198 cases Friday, the health authorities said the country should remain on alert, calling for residents to abide by the government's tightened social distancing guidelines.

"While new cases are coming in at around 200 and seem to be declining, we are not yet at a stage where we can relax," Health Minister Park Neunghoo said in a response meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul.

Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo takes off his mask to brief journalists on the results of a Central Disaster Safety Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno District, Sept. 4. Yonhap

"Until the number of patients substantially falls to a level that does not put a burden on the quarantine and health systems, we need citizens to understand and endure a bit more," said Park, referring to the administration's decision to extend toughened social distancing guidelines for another week.

On Friday the government decided to extend tougher anti-coronavirus measures at restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops in the greater Seoul area for another week, as sporadic infection clusters and untraceable cases are still popping up in the densely populated area.

Starting Aug. 30, operations at these stores were limited under the so-called Level 2.5 social distancing guidelines, while Level 2 measures have been implemented nationwide since mid-August.

The health minister mentioned growing concerns over a rise in critically ill patients, asking workers at health institutions and care centers for the elderly to stay on alert.

Two more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 333.

The number of newly identified imported cases came to 10.

The total number of people released from quarantine after making a full recovery has reached 16,009, up 226 from the previous day.

South Korea has carried out 2,037,045 COVID-19 tests since Jan. 3. (Yonhap)