New virus cases dip below 400
A social distancing sign is seen as passengers wait to board planes on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday at the domestic flight terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, Feb. 11. AP
Daily new COVID-19 cases here fell below 400 for Friday, although this was apparently due to fewer tests during the Lunar New Year holiday. At the same time, the government announced it would ease social distancing restrictions from Monday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 362 more coronavirus infections, including 345 local cases, raising the total caseload to 83,199. It also said there had been seven more fatalities, bringing the cumulative death toll to 1,514.
The infection total ― tallied Saturday ― was down from 403 cases for Thursday and 504, Wednesday when the number of new cases surged to a 15-day high despite tough virus curbs, such as a nationwide ban on gatherings of five or more people.
Meanwhile, the government decided to ease social distancing measures to Level 2 ― the third highest in its four-tier system ― for the greater Seoul metropolitan area and Level 1.5 for other areas.
The authorities also decided to ease restrictions on restaurants and other public facilities in the Seoul metropolitan area, allowing them to operate for one more hour until 10 p.m. But they retained a ban on gatherings of five or more people.
"It is a decision that we made while adhering faithfully to principles but in consideration of public fatigue," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a session of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
Wary of a possible uptick in infections, the government had been mulling over how to adjust its antivirus measures.
The KDCA is also concerned about a potential rise in new cases after the Lunar New Year holiday, which kicked off Thursday for a four-day run. It has urged people to stay at home instead of travelling for family reunions.
Of the 345 locally transmitted cases, Seoul accounted for 131, and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, 97. Incheon, west of Seoul, had 29 new cases. The greater Seoul area accounts for around half of the nation's 51 million population.
There were 17 cases from overseas, raising the total number of imported cases to 6,676.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 157, down four from a day earlier.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making a recovery was 73,227, up 291 from a day earlier, with 8,458 people remaining isolated for COVID-19 treatment, up 64 from the previous day. (Yonhap)