신규확진 156명, 1주일째 100명대 유지속 소폭 증가… 소규모 집단 감염 지속
Our starting point tonight... where else, but the latest Covid-19 situation in this country.
156 is the number of new cases added today - well below the 441 we saw less than two weeks ago, but still in the triple digits.
Officials note although with fluctuations, the number has been trending downward since South Korea imposed tighter social distancing guidelines and if the trend continues through the weekend, they will not extend the two-point-five distancing in the greater Seoul area beyond Sunday.
Han Seong-woo leads our coverage tonight.
South Korea reported 156 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a slight increase from the 136 cases added the day before.
However, infections have remained below the 200 mark for a week now, showing an overall downward trend.
Of the infections reported Wednesday, 144 were transmitted locally,… mostly concentrated in the greater Seoul area.
The other 12 were from overseas.
Health officials say the capital region's level 2-point-5 social distancing measures may be lifted if quarantine efforts are well adhered to.
"There will be no need to extend the strengthened measures if we can concentrate on social distancing for five more days until the end of the week."
But sporadic cluster infections are still popping up across the nation, including at a shipyard, a distribution warehouse, religious facilities, and a call center.
Those are on top of infections stemming from last month's protest at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday warned certain civic groups against holding planned mass rallies on October third, South Korea's National Foundation Day.
"The government will not hesitate to take action against those who hamper virus prevention efforts and threaten the safety of our society."
Another cause of concern are domestic cases of people testing positive for both COVID-19 and the flu.
Health authorities have said, however, that there is not enough information on whether such dual infections are more fatal or make symptoms worse.
With Wednesday's tally, the national caseload is nearly 21-thousand-600.
154 patients are currently in critical condition and three more people have died, raising the death toll to 344.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.
