New virus cases under 200 for 10th day, extension of tougher virus curbs again under review
South Korea's new COVID-19 infections stayed below 200 for the 10th day in a row Saturday, but the health authorities remain concerned about sporadic infection clusters and untraceable cases. Yonhap
South Korea reported less than 200 new COVID-19 infections for Friday, for the 10th day in a row, but the health authorities remain concerned about sporadic infection clusters and untraceable cases.
Over the weekend, they plan to determine whether to further extend stricter social distancing measures in the greater Seoul area for another week.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it had found 136 more COVID-19 cases, including 118 local infections, bringing the total caseload up to 22,055
The agency, an upgraded successor to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was officially launched Saturday as a means to elevate the country's capacity to contain infectious diseases, such as the coronavirus.
The tally marked a solid drop from the 176 and 155 cases reported Friday and Thursday, respectively.
New virus cases here have been in triple digits since Aug. 14, due mainly to cases tied to a conservative church in northern Seoul and an anti-government rally held Aug. 15. Daily infections soared to 441 on Aug. 27.
The number of additional cases has slowed to the 100 range on the back of stricter antivirus curbs, but it has not been on a markedly downward trend.
On Aug. 30, the country imposed Level 2.5 social distancing measures for eight days in the wider capital area, home to half of the country's 51.6 million population, and extended it by a week until Sunday.
Under the measures, restaurants can operate only from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and only takeaway or delivery is permitted outside of those hours.
Franchise coffee houses, bakeries and ice cream shops are allowed to only offer takeaway or deliveries at all times.
This weekend, the health authorities will decide whether to extend the tougher curbs.
The KDCA had initially set the goal of pushing daily cases below the 100 threshold before lifting the tougher distancing requirements.
But the prolonged business restrictions have been devastating to smaller business owners and the broader economy.
Of the new locally transmitted cases, 50 were in Seoul and 28 in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, west of Seoul, added eight infections.
Other municipalities reported new cases, with the central city of Daejeon adding seven and South Chungcheong Province reporting six.
The country, meanwhile, saw 18 imported cases, including four from Australia and three from the United States.
Five more deaths were reported, raising the toll to 355 and a fatality rate of 1.61 percent.
The number of patients in serious or critical condition dropped to 164, down 11 from the previous day.
The total number of COVID-19 patients released from state-designated quarantine after making a full recovery stood at 18,029, up 413. (Yonhap)