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| People walk by banners showing the menu items of restaurants in Seoul, Nov. 1. AP-Yonhap |
South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the second day in a row on Tuesday partly on the back of less testing on the weekend.
The country reported 1,589 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 367,974, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The daily caseload fell below the 2,000 level on Monday after reporting more than 2,000 cases for four days in a row.
Of the total, 1,578 were local infections, the KDCA said. Eleven cases came from overseas, putting the cumulative total at 15,124.
The death toll rose by 16 to 2,874 on Tuesday, the health authorities said.
On Monday, the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions by the end of February amid the rising rate of vaccinations.
The health authorities remain on high alert as there might be cluster infections following the Halloween weekend, with daily new cases possibly raising by twofold or threefold.
Under the first of the three-phase scheme, people are allowed to gather in groups of up to 10, regardless of vaccination. Still, basic preventive measures like wearing masks indoors stay in effect.
Operation hour curfews for businesses that cover restaurants, cafes and movie theaters are fully lifted, except for entertainment facilities.
High-risk facilities, such as bars and nightclubs, are required to introduce the "vaccine pass" system under which visitors have to show that they have been fully vaccinated or have a negative test result. (Yonhap)
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