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South Korea has reported 34 new cases of coronavirus, 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 announced Sunday, 26 were nationally transmitted infections and eight were imported cases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
The 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.
At least 15 people were traced to that man through Friday, and 14 of the 26 cases were reported from Seoul on Sunday, although the KCDC did not specify how many were linked.
The outbreak led the city of Seoul to impose an immediate temporary shutdown of all nightly entertainment facilities on Saturday. The city said it is tracking about 1,500 people who have gone to the clubs, and has asked anyone who was there last weekend to isolate themselves for 14 days and be tested.
The outbreak came just as South Korea has eased some restrictions on social distancing and is trying to completely reopen online schools and businesses with a transition from an intensive campaign of social distancing to what it calls “distancing from everyday life. “
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 doesn’t end until it ends. As long as we maintain improved alertness 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 adhere to safety precautions and regulations 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 largely contain the epidemic 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 systems 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.”
