New virus cases rebound on 3rd day of eased restrictions

Korea's Covid-19 cases spiked back on Wednesday as the downgraded social distancing regime in the greater Seoul area entered its third day.

The nation reported 153 new virus cases, including 145 local infections, up sharply from 113 Tuesday and raising the cumulative caseload to 22,657 as of midnight Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Five more people died of Covid-19, pushing the death toll to 372. The fatality rate reached 1.64 percent. However, the country could see more deaths down the road, as the number of seriously or critically ill Covid-19 patients came to 160 as of midnight, officials warned.

An additional 223 people were discharged from quarantine, increasing the total to 19,543. The country has tested 2,191,892 people since Jan. 3.

Korea also reported eight imported cases. Four patients were from the U.S. and India, and one from Indonesia, Canada, the U.S., and the Philippines.

On Monday, the government relaxed the social distancing scheme in the greater Seoul area from Level 2.5 to Level 2 for the next two weeks despite the three-digit daily virus outbreaks for more than a month.

The move was a compromise between strict quarantine measures and economic considerations as many self-employed and small-scale service providers in the capital area, such as neighborhood cafes and eateries, complained that any further prolongation of the Level 2.5 social distancing scheme would drive them out of business.

Korea has been struggling in vain to contain the daily spread to below 100 due to persistent sporadic infections and an increase in untraceable outbreaks.

Group infections have recently been occurring in new facilities, such as marriage counseling centers and factors aside from churches and nursing homes, with the share of infections with unknown routes exceeding 25 percent.

Pointing out that the nation still fails to curb new virus cases below 100, officials called for continued compliance with quarantine regulations, especially in the run-up to the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday from Sept. 30-Oct. 4.

"There are still more than 100 daily confirmed Covid-19 cases," Second Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kang Do-tae said. "We also have 2,800 confirmed patients undergoing treatment, and the Seoul metropolitan region accounts for about 2,000 of the total confirmed cases. As Chuseok is approaching, it is not a time for the nation to let down its guard.”

Kang stressed that nation needs to put in more effort in containing the virus, and the key is the active participation of the people.

"If we don't do our utmost to contain the virus right now, this difficulty can be prolonged," Kang said. "Please remember that in places where many people come and go, such as restaurants and cafes, adhere to the mandatory quarantine rules, and also remember that keeping distance and wearing a proper mask are currently the best vaccines to protect us from the virus.