'생활속 거리두기' 한 달…"수도권 대유행 우려"
It's been one month since the South Korean government eased its social distancing measures... shifting gears to what we call 'distancing in daily lives.'
But, with the number of cluster infections in the Seoul and the surrounding area remaining a cause for concern, health officials here warn... there is a possibility that the country could go back to stronger social distancing if things don't come under control next week.
Jang Tae-hyun leads our coverage tonight.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters held its 100th COVID-19 briefing this Friday.
It has been one month since the South Korean government eased social distancing regulations... but cluster infections are still occurring in and around the capital area.
"The biggest danger is an absence of mind. We don't know when our daily lives will crash if cluster infections occur in populated areas where many people move around."
According to health authorities, eight-hundred-25 newly confirmed cases were reported in the one-month period after the government decided to ease social distancing measures.
Numbers frequently spiked due to cluster infections in the capital area and the number of cases rose by around 30 percent compared to the previous month.
After the cluster infections in Itaewon nightclubs and the Coupang logistics center in Bucheon, more cases began to arise in other places.
Particularly in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon, where mass infections stemmed from churches and as the result of a Richway seminar attendee testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The total number of cases related to Richway, a door-to-door sales company, has now reached 29.
A major concern is that many of those cases related to Richway are over the age of 60.
Health authorities say there is the possibility of strengthening social distancing measures again if things aren't under control within the next week.
39 new cases were reported in South Korea on Friday with no additional deaths.
The total number of confirmed cases stands at 11-thousand and 668 and 273 deaths.
Jang Tae-hyun, Arirang News
