SEOUL: South Korea has reported 297 new cases of the coronavirus, its biggest daily rise since early March, as the country began restricting gatherings in the greater capital area amid fears that transmissions are getting out of control.
The figures released by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday brought the national caseload to 16,058, including 306 deaths. It was the sixth straight day the country reported daily increases in triple digits, with most of the cases coming from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where health workers have struggled to contain transmissions linked to various sources, including churches, restaurants and workers.
Desperate to prevent the outbreak in the capital area from exploding into a nationwide crisis, officials have enforced stronger social distancing restrictions for Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province and the city of Incheon that prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
Nightclubs, karaoke rooms, buffet restaurants, computer gaming cafes and other “high-risk” facilities will be shut, while churches will be required to entirely conduct their worship services online.