South Korea on Thursday reported nearly 600 new cases of coronavirus over 24 hours, the highest number of contaminations since March, a resurgence that raises fears of a third epidemic wave in the country.
While the authorities have recorded in recent weeks between 100 and 300 new cases on average per day, they have recorded 583, mainly linked to outbreaks of contamination in businesses, schools, sports halls and small gatherings in Seoul and in his region, the Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency said.
Cases have also been detected within the army, in particular among dozens of recruits in a training center, which pushed the Ministry of Defense to strengthen its precautionary measures.
“We are currently in a situation where outbreaks can appear everywhere,” said South Korean Minister of Health Park Neung-hoo.
The government this week tightened restrictions in Seoul and neighboring areas in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.
Bars and nightclubs have been closed, while the number of people at weddings and funerals cannot exceed a hundred.
Cafes can only be taken out, and restaurants can only serve indoors until 9:00 p.m.
South Korea has a total of just over 32,000 cases since the start of the epidemic.
It was also one of the first countries strongly affected after the appearance of the virus in China.
But the South Korean government has managed to regain control of the situation through an aggressive strategy of testing and tracing contacts of infected people, without ever imposing the kind of strict containment in place in other countries.