SEOUL, Sept. 17 (BNA): South Korea recorded more than 2,000 new cases of coronavirus, close to the record set in a single day last month, in continuing the alarming rise as the country entered its biggest holiday this year.
The 2,008 cases reported on Friday were the 73rd consecutive day of more than 1,000 cases despite officials enforcing the country’s strongest social distancing rules except for shutting down the capital, Seoul, and other large population centers over the past 10 weeks.
More than 1,500 of the new cases came from the greater Seoul area, which includes half the population of more than 51 million, where infections have risen as schools reopen and people return from summer vacations in recent weeks, according to the Associated Press.
There are fears that transmissions could get worse across the country during the holiday of Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving that begins over the weekend and runs through next Wednesday. Millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives during Chuseok.
“We appeal once again that people who have not been fully vaccinated should not visit their elderly parents who are in their 60s or older,” Deputy Health Minister Lee Ki-il said during a briefing.
“In the greater metropolitan area, transfers are constantly happening in indoor gyms, crowded schools, churches and anywhere there are many people in confined spaces. Capital area residents should always keep in mind that they can get infected anywhere and at any time, And be very careful.”
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