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| Children enter a kindergarten in Daegu, Monday, maintaining social distancing after the facility reopened following a 122-day shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Monday that strict social distancing ― enforced nationwide between March 22 and May 5 ― may be re-imposed in the capital if the average daily number of confirmed COVID-19 infections exceeds 30 over the next three days.
The comment came amid growing concern about a second wave of infections following a steady rise in infection clusters in the densely populated greater Seoul area that includes the city of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
"We will have no choice but to return to the previous high-level of physical distancing if the average daily number of new coronavirus cases in Seoul for the next three days exceeds 30, or the occupation rate of hospital beds reaches 70 percent," Park said during a media briefing.
Park cited a warning from health experts that the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the country could reach 800 soon.
"The second wave will be harder for the nation's medical system to handle, and in the end, it and other preventive measures could collapse," he said, vowing to closely consult with the mayor of Incheon and the governor of Gyeonggi Province.
On March 22, the central government intensified its social distancing drive, asking churches and other facilities to suspend operations, while advising citizens to refrain from going outside and gathering in large groups.
The government loosened its strict guidelines on social distancing beginning May 6, amid looming signs of a slowdown in the number of new COVID-19 infections at the time.
But the infection clusters have since continued to occur, including those traced to nightclubs in Seoul's Itaewon and a Coupang logistics center in Gyeonggi Province's Bucheon.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), reported 17 new infections ― 11 local and 6 imported ― Sunday, which raised the nation's total to 12,438. The death toll remained unchanged at 280.
The new virus cases dipped to a nearly one-month low, but the health authorities remain on high alert over concerns that additional infection clusters could occur at any time in the greater Seoul area and surrounding regions.
The southern city of Daejeon has recently seen infection clusters traced to door-to-door sales companies, and this is already spreading to other regions including Gwangju and North Jeolla Province, according to the KCDC.
Adding to the woes is an increase in the number of imported cases.
Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said a total of 90 imported cases were identified in Korea over the past week, showing a sharp rise from the previous week's 48.
"The government faces a grave situation as health officials need not only to contain locally transmitted infections, but also manage imported cases," Park said in a government meeting on COVID-19 responses.
As part of efforts to block further inflows of the virus into the country, the government will temporarily strengthen visa restrictions for people from Pakistan and Bangladesh, where virus infections persist, starting Tuesday.
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