New virus cases fall below 900; gov't extends current social distancing scheme

Daily new COVID-19 infections here fell below 900 for Friday, however, analysts note that this could be largely due to less testing done over the New Year holiday. Meanwhile the health authorities are expected to extend the duration of current social distancing regulations.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it had detected 824 more coronavirus cases, including 788 local ones, raising the total caseload to 62,593. It also reported 25 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the toll to 942.

The drop in new cases appears attributable to the less testing ― on Friday, 53,540 people took COVID-19 tests, compared with 101,176, Thursday.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters decided to extend the current Level 2.5 distancing measures ― the second highest in the five-tier system ― for the greater Seoul area and Level 2 for the rest of the country until Jan. 17.

The government also decided to apply the ban on private gatherings of five or more people, which is already in place for the greater Seoul area, to the rest of the country.

The authorities opted not to raise distancing to the highest level in consideration of its impact on the local economy, as the single-day virus tallies have hovered around 1,000 without a sudden upsurge ― an apparent sign that social the administration's current distancing efforts are paying off.

"In consideration of the fact that we have maintained our quarantine and medical response capabilities so far, and in consideration of the potential shock to the economy, we will not raise the restrictions to Level 3, which involves a ban on the operation of facilities used by many people," Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a press briefing.

The authorities have been struggling to avoid resorting to the most stringent distancing level, which would mean serious restrictions on millions of small merchants and other businesses.

Even under Level 2.5, eateries and other shops have felt the pinch of social distancing. Restaurants can operate normally only until 9 p.m., after which, only takeout or delivery services are allowed, while cafes can only sell takeout beverages.

Kwon stressed that the country is facing a "very crucial turning point" that will determine whether infections will continue to surge or slow down, as he called for citizens to faithfully practice social distancing.

"The two weeks ahead will be a period during which we can solidify our antivirus campaign and reduce the number of patients," he said.

The latest single-day tally included 36 imported cases. Among them, the authorities confirmed four more cases of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variant from Britain, bringing the total to nine.

The government also reported its first case of the new coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa.

Of the newly identified local infections, 246 were reported in Seoul and 222 in Gyeonggi Province, surrounding the capital. Incheon, west of Seoul, reported 70 more cases.

Infection clusters have also continued to grow.

As of midnight, the number of COVID-19 cases traced to the Seoul Eastern Detention Center has now reached 958, including 916 detainees, up 13 from a day earlier.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and outgoing Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae visited the detention center Saturday. Chung took issue with "insufficient" initial responses to the spread of the virus there, which he warned could lead to public distrust in the government.

Choo apologized on Facebook, Friday, for failing to prevent infections inside the state-controlled facility.

Cases at a nursing home in Seoul's Guro district swelled to 200, up seven from the previous day, while the number of infections linked to a nursing home in the city of Paju rose by 23 to 58.

COVID-19 cases tied to a religious group in the southern city of Ulsan increased by 17 to 100, while infections related to a health care center for senior citizens in the southeastern port city of Busan grew by 10 to 57.

The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients reached 361, Saturday, up seven from the previous day.

People released from quarantine after recovering from the disease stood at 43,578, an increase of 625 from the previous day. (Yonhap)