UPDATE - Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In South Korea Rises By 94 To 10,156 - KCDC

SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2020) The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea has risen by 94 to 10,156 over the past day, the Health Ministry's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Saturday.

The death toll has risen from 174 to 177 within the same period of time, according to the KCDC.

The largest number of new COVID-19 cases - 27 out of 94 - has been registered in the city of Daegu, 23 in the province of Gyeonggi, while 22 more in the capital of Seoul. Thirty-two new cases are imported ones, the KCDC stressed.

The number of recovered people has risen by 304 to 6,325.

The country has conducted more than 424,000 coronavirus tests, with the results of 20,144 tests being processed now.

Later, the South Korean government decided to extend the social distancing measures for two more weeks, until April 19.

"The period of increased social distancing is prolonged for two weeks, until April 19 ... People are recommended to cancel or reschedule meetings, having a meal outside home, refrain from visiting events, making trips and leaving home without urgent need. Keep a distance of two meters [6.5 feet], do not shake hands ... disinfect the environment," the disaster relief authority said in a statement.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun explained the decision with the ongoing rise in the number of COVID-19 cases: on average, plus some 100 new cases per day.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, about 1.1 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 59,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.