South Korea has called on residents to refrain from public gatherings and outdoor activities, as the country has been registering a record high daily increment of COVID-19 cases over 300 infections for the third day in a row, with the greater Seoul area being the worst hit, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2020) South Korea has called on residents to refrain from public gatherings and outdoor activities, as the country has been registering a record high daily increment of COVID-19 cases over 300 infections for the third day in a row, with the greater Seoul area being the worst hit, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.
According to the health authorities, another 363 new cases have been recorded over the past 24 hours in South Korea, which brings the country's total tally to over 30,000, 80 days after the number surpassed 20,000 on September 1. Triple-digit increases in the number of new coronavirus cases have been registered since November 8.
In a bid to prevent another wave of the coronavirus, South Korea decided to raise the social distancing level by one notch to Level 1.5 under a new five-tier scheme for two weeks starting on Thursday in the greater Seoul area and the southern city of Gwangju.
According to the news agency, the authorities consider further elevating the social distancing level in the capital region if the average number of cases per day exceeds 200 in a one-week period. Over the past seven days, the figure was 153.
"We believe the third wave of the virus infections (in the wider Seoul area) is in progress after seeing such a situation in February-March and August," Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health official, said at a briefing.
Meanwhile, the city of Suncheon, southeast of Seoul, became the first municipality to enforce Level 2 social distancing rules starting on Friday as a precautionary move. Under the restrictions, public gatherings of 100 or more people are banned, with some businesses suspending their activities.
In addition, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday advised citizens against holding year-end social gatherings and conducting nonessential outdoor activities.
