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SEOUL: South Korea reported 34 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday (May 10), the highest daily number in a month, after a small outbreak emerged around a series of nightclubs that a confirmed patient had visited.
Of the new cases, 26 were nationally transmitted infections and eight were imported cases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
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Sunday’s total was the highest since April 9. After battling the first major epidemic outside of China, South Korea recorded zero or very few internal cases in the past 10 days, with a daily count of around 10 or less in recent weeks.
The revival followed a small but growing coronavirus outbreak centered on a handful of Seoul nightclubs, which a man in his 20s had visited before testing positive for the virus.
READ: Seoul closes bars and clubs for fear of second wave COVID-19
Fourteen of the 26 nationally transmitted cases were reported from Seoul on Sunday, although the KCDC did not specify how many were linked.
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Seoul city authorities say they have a list of about 1,500 people who have gone to the clubs, and authorities have asked anyone who was there last weekend to isolate themselves for 14 days and get tested.
The outbreak came just as South Korea has eased some restrictions on social distancing and is looking to reopen schools and businesses entirely.
President Moon Jae-in warned of a second wave of the epidemic later this year, saying the recent group underscored the risks that the virus that causes COVID-19 could spread widely at any time.
“It will not end until it ends. As we maintain increased vigilance to the end, we must never let our guard down on epidemic prevention,” he said in a televised speech marking the third anniversary of its inauguration.
“We are in a protracted war. I ask everyone to abide by the safety precautions and rules until the situation is over, even after resuming daily life.”
Widespread testing, intensive contact tracking, and tracking apps have helped Asia’s fourth-largest economy contain the epidemic largely without extensive blockages seen elsewhere.
As part of a long-term battle at COVID-19, the KCDC will have greater power and be renamed the Disease Control and Prevention Administration, Moon said. Local governments will establish their own epidemic response system with more experts.
“We will also push to establish specialized infectious disease hospitals and a national infectious disease research center,” Moon said.
“These tasks are very urgent if we want to prepare for the second epidemic wave that experts predict will come this fall or winter.”
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