3개월 만에 사흘 연속 60명대 확진...방역 당국 "엄중한 상황
Our top story this morning.
South Korea on Sunday reported an additional 61 COVID-19 infections,... marking the third straight day that the nation saw numbers at 60 or more.
Quarantine officials say, while it's not considering raising the social distancing level just yet,... it is a serious situation.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
Another 61 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in South Korea on Sunday.
Having reported 63 cases on Friday and Saturday,... it marked the third straight day that the nation saw numbers above 60.
Since early April,... South Korea has steadily lowered its daily infection numbers,... but the latest cases mark the first steep increase in three months.
Seoul, Gyeonggi-do Province, Daejeon and Gwangju are continuing to see cluster infections.
Quarantine officials say,... while the recent uptick in daily infections doesn't call for hiking the social distancing level,... it is a concerning situation.
"Although we are preventing the large-scale spread of COVID-19, the situation continues to keep pace with the speed of detection. It's like 'whack-a-mole' at the moment."
All the more concerning is the speed at which the virus is spreading in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
Quarantine officials say most of the infection cases stem from a church in the city,... leading to more than 800 of its members being placed in quarantine.
Of the total infections in the city,... more than half are people in their 60s,... but 44-percent of the cases are asymptomatic.
The virus has also spread to a nearby region,... leading to Jeollanam-do Province raising its social distancing level to two.
Gwangju city officials say,... if the situation worsens,... they might hike the social distancing level to the highest,... level three.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
