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| People walk streets near Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall in Jung District, Thursday. Yonhap |
New COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the second straight day Thursday, amid the government's continued effort to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 32,451 new infections, including 15 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,727,086.
The tally declined from 35,906, Wednesday, but is up from 26,701 a week ago.
The health agency added 52 deaths, bringing the total to 23,606; while the number of critically ill patients came to 347, down seven from a day earlier.
The KDCA has urged those aged 60 and older to receive second booster shots to try to reduce deaths and prevent them from becoming critically ill patients.
South Korea's new daily infections have been on a downward trend in recent weeks after peaking at over 620,000, March 17, amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
The government eased the outdoor mask mandate on May 2, except for large gatherings of 50 or more, as it moves toward a return to normalcy. The indoor mask mandate remains in effect. (Yonhap)
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